Compliance

Affordability check: can the player afford their spending

Affordability check (financial risk check) is an assessment of whether a player can afford their gambling spend without harming themselves. Light data checks come first, documents only at high thresholds. It is not a source of funds check.

Yevhen SychovOctober 2026

How it differs from source of funds

Source of fundsAffordability
Questionwhere this money comes fromcan the player afford this spending
WhyAML: the money has a legal originresponsible gambling: spending without harm
Outcomeconfirmation or enhanced checksa limit, a marketing pause, a conversation

The money can be clean and the spending still unaffordable. A source of funds check confirms a salary, but does not answer whether the player can afford to lose half of it.

How it is done

  • Light data checks: deposit and withdrawal history, how fast spending grows, behavioural signals and, in some markets, external financial data. Nothing is needed from the player.
  • Documents: bank statements or proof of income, only at high thresholds or with strong risk signals.
  • Decision: change nothing, offer a deposit limit, stop marketing, talk to the player and, as a last resort, restrict play.

Thresholds are fixed in the operator's policy in line with licence requirements, so the check does not depend on a manager's mood. For example, a check is triggered by monthly net deposits above the policy threshold or by a sharp rise in spending against the player's usual pattern.

How to talk to the player

  • Explain the reason: it is a licence requirement and part of responsible gambling, not a personal suspicion of the player.
  • In the player's language and with a timeframe: what is needed, where to upload it, how long the check will take.
  • A VIP player is handled personally by their manager: they warn the player in advance, before the threshold, and help gather the documents.
  • While the check is running, no bonuses and no deposit offers.

Common mistakes

  • Asking for documents straight away. The data the operator already has is often enough. Documents are requested at high thresholds.
  • Holding withdrawals for the check. The check limits new spending, not access to the player's own money. A delayed withdrawal only adds stress and complaints.
  • A check with no consequences. If nothing changes afterwards, no limit and no marketing pause, the check protects neither the player nor the licence.
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