Affordability Checks and Gambling Reform: What Vicky Foxcroft Inherits

The UK’s gambling sector is entering another period of regulatory change, and Vicky Foxcroft MP will now be responsible for overseeing much of it.

Foxcroft has replaced Baroness Fiona Twycross as parliamentary under-secretary of state for Museums, Heritage, Gambling and Lords minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Her brief also includes horseracing, giving her responsibility for two areas facing significant policy questions.

As fate would have it, her arrival comes as the government prepares for the next stage of gambling reform, including the planned introduction of financial risk assessments in 2027.

Affordability Checks Among First Challenges

The British Horseracing Authority is already seeking an early meeting with the new minister after the Gambling Commission confirmed that affordability checks will proceed from 2027.

These assessments are designed to identify customers who may be experiencing financial risk from gambling, but their introduction has generated concern across parts of the betting industry. The BHA has previously argued that the government should take greater responsibility for the policy rather than leaving key decisions to the regulator. It now wants Foxcroft to understand the potential implications for betting and British horseracing.

This issue could become one of Foxcroft’s first major tests as gambling minister, particularly given the competing priorities of consumer protection, betting activity and the financial health of racing.

Foxcroft’s Record Points Toward Stronger Protection

Her previous parliamentary positions offer some indication of how she may approach the changing gambling landscape. Foxcroft supported reducing fixed odds betting terminal stakes to £2, backed restrictions on gambling advertising during live sport and has described problem gambling as a public health issue.

She has also supported banning gambling transactions funded through credit cards and allowing banks to intervene when customers display signs of harmful gambling behaviour.

Her support for further restrictions has extended to land-based gambling. In 2025, she was among MPs backing an early day motion challenging the “aim to permit” principle, which limited local authorities’ ability to oppose new gambling premises. The government has since announced plans to scrap the rule and give councils greater powers over betting shops and other gambling venues.

The UK Market Faces a Wider Regulatory Reset

Foxcroft’s appointment comes after several major changes to Britain’s gambling framework. The statutory gambling levy introduced in 2024 requires licensed operators to contribute between 0.2% and 1.1% of annual gross gambling yield toward research, prevention and treatment for gambling harm. Financial risk assessments are now moving toward implementation, while advertising, land-based gambling and player protection remain under political scrutiny.

That creates a more complicated environment for operators, particularly those already dealing with higher taxes and increased compliance requirements.

The Betting and Gaming Council welcomed Foxcroft’s appointment but urged the government to consider the cumulative effect of regulation and taxation. The organisation also wants greater attention placed on the illegal gambling market, arguing that unlicensed operators expose consumers to greater risks while avoiding the obligations placed on regulated businesses.

What Foxcroft’s Appointment Could Mean

The new minister inherits much of the regulatory programme developed under Twycross, who oversaw implementation of the government’s gambling white paper and preparations for financial risk assessments.

Foxcroft’s record suggests that player protection will remain central to the UK’s gambling policy, but the industry’s response to further restrictions could shape the next phase of reform. The key question will be whether the government can strengthen safeguards without pushing more consumers toward unlicensed alternatives.