The UK’s gambling regulator is seeking public input on how to ensure that its online licensees adequately protect consumers from potential gambling harm, including proper checks to ensure that customers can afford to gamble.

On Tuesday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) opened a consultation on its remote gambling licensees’ customer interactions. The UKGC said operators “already have the capability of identifying customers who may be harmed by gambling” but the regulator believes the industry “has not used this capability sufficiently to reduce harms.”

The UKGC claims too many licensees have “set thresholds for interaction too high,” in some cases not intervening until “tens of thousands of pounds” have been deposited and/or wagered. The UKGC is proposing new Social Responsibility Code requirements for licensing and a new “customer interaction manual” to replace the existing customer interaction guidance document.

UKGC exec director Tim Miller said many online licensees were “not taking the appropriate action or acting quickly enough when they do identify risks of potential harm.” Miller claimed that the consultation was intended to ensure the regulator struck “the right balance” between consumer freedom and consumer protection.