BGC Members Record 97% Age Verification Pass Rate Ahead of All Other Sectors
TL;DR — BGC members hit a 97% age verification pass rate in Serve Legal tests from May 2025 to April 2026. The result leads supermarkets, vape shops, and delivery services while improving five points from the prior period. It reflects four years of steady gains through training and Challenge 25 policies.
SCCG Take — Strong test outcomes reinforce the regulated sector’s compliance edge and support continued use of independent benchmarking to drive operational consistency.
Betting and Gaming Council members achieved a 97% pass rate in independent age verification test purchasing between May 2025 and April 2026. The data comes from Serve Legal and represents the highest mark among age-restricted sectors tracked in its benchmarking.
The 97% figure marks a five percentage point improvement on the previous period. It is also the strongest result recorded across the four years of analysis.
Sector Benchmarking and Core Drivers
BGC members outperformed supermarkets at 80%, convenience stores at 77%, specialist vape shops at 61%, and delivery services at 44%. Serve Legal conducts test purchasing to measure how businesses apply age verification when younger customers seek restricted products or services.
The BGC attributes the results to Challenge 25 policies, staff training, and age verification procedures used by licensed betting and iGaming operators. The trade body will continue working with Serve Legal and its members to review failed test purchases, identify areas for improvement, and strengthen age verification standards across the regulated betting and iGaming sector.
Executive Views on Results and Next Steps
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.
“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 data shows that evidence-led adjustments can narrow gaps between written policies and on-the-ground execution. Operators and regulators now have a clear baseline for measuring future consistency in youth protection measures.
Reporting: iGaming Future
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Four years of training and testing show compliance can be measurable, improvable, and a competitive differentiator.
We spend a lot of time on responsible gaming frameworks, but this is proof that independent testing drives real operational improvement. A five-point gain in one year, sustained over four, shows what happens when you measure, adjust, and repeat. It also gives regulators and legislators concrete data when they compare betting to grocery or vape.
- BGC members passed 97% of Serve Legal age verification tests, up five points year-over-year
- Result leads supermarkets (80%), convenience (77%), vape (61%), delivery (44%)
- Four-year trend ties gains to Challenge 25 policies, training, and independent benchmarking
SCCG angle: SCCG partners with compliance tech providers and training platforms across our network. When a client needs to tighten age verification — retail or digital — we connect them to the tools and testing programs that produce measurable, auditable improvement, not just policy documents.
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