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A new app due to launch this autumn with the aim of providing a solution to the issue of affordability checks has been described as “an interesting intervention” by the BHA and one that should be considered by the government and Gambling Commission.
The team behind GamScore, which is chaired by presenter and entrepreneur Josh Apiafi, say the platform can use open banking and AI to provide frictionless checks, track the use of unlicensed operators and educate users about the risks they might face.
GamScore utilises open banking to provide a live view of a bettor’s financial and gambling activity, and claims to be able to identify changes in behaviour or financial stress early.
It would take data three times a day and produce a score through AI which an operator would have access to.
Apiafi said: “So if your activity changes, and let’s say you chase losses, that will have a negative effect on your score. It’s an ongoing thing.”
Concerns have been raised about the use of open banking to monitor gambling, but Apiafi said: “Here it keeps it separate and away from the operator. It means you have got a one-stop shop.
“It will also be able to give you a P&L across your betting accounts. A single customer view does come in, but it’s owned by the customer and not by an operator.”
The platform is independent of the betting industry, but GamScore plans to partner with operators by enabling them to offer the service to customers as a safety and compliance tool, which would help avoid them having to send financial documents multiple times.
Apiafi also claimed that GamScore could provide insight into black market activity. He said: “What GamScore will do is identify that [black market gambling] through your deposits via open banking. If it’s an unlicensed bookmaker, it will give a warning.
“It will also collect data, because people speculate about the number of people who go through the black market.”
GamScore is planning to launch in October for customers and aims to be free at the point of use.
Apiafi said: “If this is successful, it’s a solution not only for the betting industry and the consumer but for the sport I have spent the majority of my career in. There’s no negative for the regulator, the operator and the consumer. It’s a massive tick for all of them.”
The Gambling Commission is said to be close to deciding whether to introduce affordability checks
A BHA spokesman said the governing body had made clear its opposition to affordability checks, which it said were being introduced without scrutiny by MPs and which did not strike the right balance between consumer protection and freedom.
They added: “GamScore is an interesting intervention into the gambling debate, and we know the team there have held meetings with a range of stakeholders, including from British racing, as they look to launch their product.
“Anything that can deliver a safer experience for bettors without any of the well-documented problems of the affordability checks is worth considering by the commission and the government.”
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