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Majority of gamblers hit with affordability checks have handed over info, but wider betting population unwilling
- Most bettors asked to undergo financial checks agree
- Higher spending players more willing than lower spenders
- Most who’ve not yet faced affordability checks say they will refuse
The majority of bettors who have been asked for proof they can afford to gamble have provided it, but there are big questions over how things will play out if checks become mandatory or more common, the results of a new study by sports betting community OLBG show.
A survey of bettors carried out online by YouGov for OLBG found that the majority of those who had been asked by gambling operators to provide documents such as payslips, bank statements or other documents had complied with the request.
The survey, which polled 1,007 bettors, found that 21.8% of bettors had already been asked for documents by at least one bookmaker. Of these, 74.3% had provided them, but 17.9% had refused and started playing with a different licensed operator instead. Of the remainder, 4.1% refused and moved to an unlicensed operator, while 3.7% stopped betting entirely.
The willingness to provide documentation was less widespread among those who had not yet been asked to do so, however.
Of the 78.2% of punters who had not yet faced affordability checks, 37.3% said they would refuse and simply stop betting, 35.0% said they would move to a different licensed operator and 4.1% said they’d go to an unlicensed company. Only 23.5% indicated they would be willing to provide the documents.
“Most bettors who have been asked to provide documents have done so. More importantly, very few of those who were asked stopped gambling or went to the black market, the latter being the worst unintended consequence of measures aimed at making gambling more responsible,” said Richard Moffat, CEO at OLBG.
“However, there is a stark difference between those who have been asked and those who haven’t in terms of willingness.”
As the below table shows, overall 65% of bettors reported not being willing to comply with affordability checks. Those betting lower monthly amounts were the least open to handing over financial documents, with more than three in four (75.4%) of those betting less than £5 a month and 72% of those betting £6-15 a month unwilling to undergo affordability checks.
“Few people who are spending at this level are likely to think it is proportionate for a bookie to ask for proof they can afford it and it’s quite surprising how many lower spending players report already having been asked. From the rumours about what level mandatory checks might come in, it seems unlikely checks will be forced on players at levels under £100 per month,” said Moffat.
Players spending less than £100 per month
| Have you been asked by a gambling company to provide payslips, bank statements or similar documents as part of an affordability or proof of funds check? | All bettors | Less than £5 | £6-15 | £16-25 | £26-50 | £51-100 |
| Unweighted base | 1,007 | 235 | 224 | 147 | 154 | 93 |
| Yes, I have and I provided the required documents | 16.16% | 6.00% | 10.08% | 20.86% | 16.55% | 14.27% |
| No, I have not but I would provide the documents if asked | 18.45% | 18.20% | 18.06% | 23.14% | 20.31% | 21.62% |
| Yes, I have, but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different licensed company instead | 3.92% | 0.40% | 1.77% | 4.22% | 4.53% | 6.57% |
| Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different unlicensed company instead | 0.90% | 0.00% | 0.47% | 0.71% | 1.29% | 1.08% |
| Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and stopped betting | 0.79% | 0.00% | 0.43% | 0.70% | 1.94% | 1.10% |
| No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with a different licensed company instead | 27.40% | 20.40% | 31.52% | 24.80% | 35.25% | 38.36% |
| No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with an unlicensed company instead | 3.20% | 1.30% | 3.57% | 4.17% | 3.27% | 1.11% |
| No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t bet | 29.18% | 53.60% | 34.10% | 21.40% | 16.86% | 15.88% |
| Total willing to provide documents | 34.61% | 24.20% | 28.14% | 44.00% | 36.86% | 35.89% |
| Total unwilling to provide documents | 65.39% | 75.70% | 71.86% | 56.00% | 63.14% | 64.10% |
Players spending more than £100 per month
| Have you been asked by a gambling company to provide payslips, bank statements or similar documents as part of an affordability or proof of funds check? | All bettors | £101-200 | £201-300 | £301-500 | £501-1000 |
| Unweighted Base | 1,007 | 57 | 16 | 16 | 20 |
| Yes, I have and I provided the required documents | 16.16% | 30.04% | 31.87% | 50.63% | 40.65% |
| No, I have not but I would provide the documents if asked | 18.45% | 19.41% | 12.94% | 0.00% | 4.79% |
| Yes, I have, but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different licensed company instead | 3.92% | 12.40% | 6.73% | 0.00% | 15.35% |
| Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different unlicensed company instead | 0.90% | 1.77% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and stopped betting | 0.79% | 1.70% | 0.00% | 6.45% | 0.00% |
| No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with a different licensed company instead | 27.40% | 24.19% | 36.36% | 30.49% | 28.90% |
| No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with an unlicensed company instead | 3.20% | 5.19% | 12.10% | 6.45% | 5.12% |
| No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t bet | 29.18% | 5.31% | 0.00% | 5.98% | 5.20% |
| Total willing to provide documents | 34.61% | 49.45% | 44.81% | 50.63% | 45.44% |
| Total unwilling to provide documents | 65.39% | 50.56% | 55.19% | 49.37% | 54.57% |
* Players spending more than £1,000 per month were excluded as numbers were too small to be statistically significant.
However, while willingness to undergo affordability checks does seem to increase among players who spend more on a monthly basis, even among those spending £100-plus per month, less than half were open to affordability checks.
One big difference between players at lower spend levels and those spending more than £100 was the likelihood of players stopping gambling if asked to undergo checks. While 53.6% of those betting less than £5 said they wouldn’t gamble if faced with affordability checks, just 5.31% said the same in the £101-200 per month category.
Higher spending players were more likely to have moved to a different licensed company rather than provide documents, but across all spending amounts a significant proportion of players reported plans to do so if asked to provide documents.
“Many players reported either having already moved to a different licensed operator or being willing to do so over affordability checks. Therefore, there is now a big question mark over what might happen if affordability checks become mandatory and all licensed operators have to impose them at certain levels,” said Moffat.
The survey also found that younger players were more willing to submit to financial checks. About one-third (33.34%) of those aged 18-24 said they had been asked for and provided documents, while 22.86% said they hadn’t been asked but would do so. In the 55-plus age group, the percentage of players reporting the same fell to 6.40% and 15.37%, respectively.
More details on this breakdown can be found in the full survey report, along with various other findings on the UK’s gambling habits.
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Firesand, a leader in iGaming security services and software, has developed a cutting-edge Anti-Account Fraud solution to safeguard iGaming operators and platform providers from escalating credential-based cyber threats.
Firesand Shield is a best-in-class product that has been designed to address the growing complexity of account fraud that has impacted the global iGaming industry in recent times, which in some cases has resulted in loss of business, damaged reputation and regulatory fines. Common examples of account fraud include credential stuffing, dictionary attacks, and common password exploitation.
The new solution provides proactive, intelligent detection and prevention against the full spectrum of account compromise techniques, without relying on user-disruptive CAPTCHAs or blunt blocking mechanisms, to ensure the end user experience remains uninterrupted.
Unlike legacy or bot-only detection tools, Firesand Shield leans on the company’s specialism as a penetration testing service provider to focus on attack patterns, regardless of whether the source is human, bot, or hybrid, offering unmatched insight and agility in protecting operator user accounts and platform integrity. It includes in-depth attack analysis and reporting to provide greater transparency and clarity over the source of each security vulnerability.
With a product upgrade roadmap that includes geolocation anomaly detection, VPN usage analysis, and AI-powered behavioural profiling, Firesand Shield is set to offer operators and platforms significant peace of mind to stay ahead of security threats as they evolve.
Chris Blake, Director at Firesand, said: “Account fraud is a growing threat to the global iGaming industry. There have been multiple cases in the previous year alone where user data has been breached, leading to a detrimental impact for businesses targeted.
“Firesand Shield has been designed to support operators and platform providers of all sizes to sharpen their security capabilities as these attacks become more common and sophisticated. Underpinned by our superior iGaming security excellence, we are well positioned to further strengthen online systems on a global scale.”
With a proven track record of developing bespoke security platforms for a range of industries, Firesand brings unmatched credibility and expertise to the iGaming space, combining technical solutions with practical, actionable defence capabilities for high-risk digital environments.
The post Firesand launches Firesand Shield to combat rise in iGaming account fraud attacks appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry Awards
Soft2Bet Named Acquisition & Retention Partner and Industry Innovator of the Year by SBC Europe Awards 2025
Soft2Bet has secured two major wins at the SBC Awards Europe 2025, being recognised by excellence for Acquisition & Retention Partner of the Year and Industry Innovation of the Year. Its flagship brand Betinia also earned a Silver Award in the Casino Operator of the Year category, highlighting a company’s ability to create performing brands in saturated and highly competitive key markets.
The awards recognise the continued success of Soft2Bet’s powerful turnkey solutions and Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA), which has played a central role in driving player engagement and retention across key markets. During the last 12 months, the impact of Soft2Bet’s cutting-edge gamification solutions for casino and sportsbook has played a major role in enhancing customer experience, loyalty, and engagement, delivering ROI-driven performance that goes beyond retention. MEGA was key in achieving a 128% retention uplift for Campobet in Denmark and 106% for Betinia in Sweden, further proving the solution’s impact.
“SBC Europe Awards recognition is a testament to the vision of our technology and its impact on building strong brands, long-term player relationships, and product excellence that goes beyond retention. MEGA continues to lead the European, Nordic and North America market in creating unique experiences that combine innovation, a strong regulatory framework, high performance results from the start,” – stated Oksana Tsyhankova, CMO at Soft2Bet.
Earlier in 2024, Soft2Bet was also recognised at the SBC Awards, winning in Innovation in Mobile and Innovation in Casino Entertainment categories. Soft2Bet now holds 19 licences across 12 jurisdictions and continues to expand both its B2B and B2C footprint in Europe and beyond. With brands like Betinia, CampoBet, Don.ro, Tooniebet, and Quickcasino, the company remains focused on delivering innovative, localised, high-performance iGaming experiences.
The post Soft2Bet Named Acquisition & Retention Partner and Industry Innovator of the Year by SBC Europe Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
There are affiliate networks, and then there’s MegaList – a performance-first, hype-last kind of operation built for casino and sportsbook brands that prefer results over buzzwords.
In an industry that sometimes feels like it’s powered by vague metrics and recycled content, MegaList steps in as the “Mega Map” – a practical, data-driven network guiding both players and operators to higher ground. Less “look at our reach,” more “here’s your conversion rate.”
So no, this isn’t just another logo-stamped brand promising traffic and delivering bounce rates. This is a carefully engineered affiliate engine built on smart SEO, qualified leads, and just enough caffeine-fueled obsession with results to make even the most skeptical operators pay attention.
The iGaming Affiliate World: Why It (Still) Matters
Let’s be honest – the affiliate space in iGaming has had its fair share of bad actors and empty promises. But when done right, affiliate marketing is still one of the most effective and efficient ways to connect licensed operators with the right players.
Players want fewer popups, more clarity. Operators want actual ROI, not vague impressions.
Enter: the data-driven affiliate network.
It’s simple:
- Informed players make better choices.
- Strategic affiliates deliver better traffic.
- Everyone wins. Except, of course, the shady operators who preferred it the other way.
Meet the MegaList Brands
These aren’t vanity microsites. Each MegaList brand has a specific mission, actual humans behind the content, and a reputation for, well… telling it like it is.
MegaCasinoList
Let’s face it – players don’t need another affiliate promising “top 10 casinos” based on whatever ad paid the most. They need honest, transparent, expert-backed reviews.
That’s where MegaCasinoList comes in – a platform that filters out the noise and delivers legit info on licensed casinos, security, fairness, and gameplay. Slots? Live dealer games? Payout speed? Yep, it’s all in there, and it’s all vetted.
They work with reliable operators only, because – and here’s a crazy idea – not every shiny site deserves your deposit.
MegaTipsList
If you like sports predictions that read like a 20-page legal document, you’re in the wrong place.
MegaTipsList is built for bettors who want real insights, fast reads, accurate tips, and actual value. It delivers predictions, sports news, and timely promotions – minus the fluff and with none of that “win guaranteed” nonsense.
Designed for bettors who like to stay informed without needing a PhD to understand the odds.
MegaBetList
For the practical bettor who just wants the facts: which sites are legit, which ones pay fast, and what to expect before placing your first wager.
MegaBetList reviews betting platforms with a clear, no-nonsense voice. It’s not trying to dazzle; it’s trying to help people bet smarter – and it’s doing a pretty solid job of it.
From licensing to promotions to usability, everything is covered – and everything is filtered through what actually matters to sports fans.
Why This All Matters (And Why It’s Working)
The iGaming world doesn’t need more noise. It needs better filters, smarter partners, and affiliates that actually care whether the traffic leads somewhere useful.
That’s where MegaList comes in – not to impress with buzzwords, but to perform, to scale, and to make sure both operators and players are on the same page for once.
And if we may drop in a little vision while we’re at it:
“At MegaList, we believe informed players and strategic operators shape a stronger, smarter iGaming industry.”
For once, a statement that isn’t just inspirational filler.
So the next time someone pitches you an affiliate network, ask one thing: “Do they have a plan, or just a landing page?”
MegaList has both, and a track record to prove it.
Explore MegaList’s network:
🔗 MegaAffiliatesList.com
The post Meet MegaList: The Rising Force in iGaming Affiliation appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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