BGC members outperform other age-restricted retailers in latest test purchasing

Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) members have outperformed a wide range of other age-restricted retailers in independent test purchasing carried out by Serve Legal.

BGC members recorded an overall pass rate of 97% between May 2025 and April 2026 – the highest result among the sectors included in Serve Legal’s benchmarking – ahead of supermarkets at 80%, convenience stores at 77%, specialist vape shops at 61% and delivery services at 44%.

The latest result represents a five-percentage-point improvement on the previous year and is the highest recorded by BGC members across the four annual reporting periods included in the analysis.

Serve Legal carries out independent test purchasing to assess how businesses apply age-verification procedures when younger customers attempt to access age-restricted products or services.

The BGC said the results demonstrated its members’ commitment to protecting young people, with strict age-verification measures, effective staff training and Challenge 25 policies central to maintaining high standards across regulated betting and gaming businesses.

These protections and checks do not exist in the illegal, unregulated market, where operators sit outside Britain’s licensing rules and consumer safeguards.

Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said:

“These are excellent results and a clear demonstration of the high standards being delivered across the regulated betting and gaming sector.

“Protecting young people is a fundamental responsibility for every regulated operator, and these results show our members are taking that responsibility seriously.

“It is particularly encouraging to see BGC members outperform every other sector included in the benchmarking. That is something the industry should be proud of, while continuing to learn from every failed test and drive standards even higher.”

Kate Rand, Chief Executive of Serve Legal, added:

“These results demonstrate a strong performance by BGC members and underline the value of regular, independent test purchasing.

“Testing helps businesses understand where their age-verification procedures are working effectively and where further training or operational improvements may be needed.

“For BGC members, this means moving from understanding to action: using evidence to close the gap between policies in the office and service reality on the ground. As Serve Legal continues to invest in technology and data-led insight, our ambition is to help businesses go further still – from measuring compliance, to identifying patterns, predicting risk and focusing action where it will have the greatest impact.

“The improvement in the overall BGC pass rate is encouraging, and continued testing will help members maintain these standards, strengthen operational consistency and target the areas where further progress can be made.”

The BGC will continue working with Serve Legal and its members to review unsuccessful tests, share lessons and strengthen age-verification standards across the regulated sector.

Photo by Isaac Owens on Unsplash