Source of funds meaning: evidence of where the money you gamble with comes from, such as wages, savings or the sale of a house. A UK casino can ask for it to meet anti-money-laundering law and to check you aren’t gambling money you can’t afford, usually with bank statements or payslips.
The question is where your deposits came from, not who you are.
The Commission names two reasons: anti-money-laundering and social responsibility.
Bank statements and payslips are the usual evidence.
It is separate from the £150 financial vulnerability check, which uses public records.
Means
Proof of where gambling money comes from
Why asked
Anti-money-laundering and harm prevention
Usual evidence
Bank statements, payslips, sale documents
Pound trigger
No single published threshold
Credit-reference affordability checks
Not live (October 2026)
Source of funds meaning for casino players
The idea boils down to one question: where did this money come from? For a casino customer that might be a salary paid into a current account, savings built up over years, a bonus from work, an inheritance or the proceeds of selling a car. Proving it means showing a document that links the deposits to that origin, most often a bank statement.
It is not the same as KYC, which confirms your identity and age before you can play, nor the same as proof of address. Those come first and apply to everyone. A source of funds request comes later and only for some customers, typically after a pattern of deposits that a casino’s risk systems flag. Our casino bonus glossary has the neighbouring terms.
You may also see “source of wealth”, a broader idea in anti-money-laundering work: how a person built up their overall money, rather than where a particular deposit came from. Casinos ask about it far less often.
Why a casino asks about your source of funds
The Gambling Commission’s consumer page on why gambling businesses want to know about your finances (opens in a new tab) gives two reasons. The first is anti-money laundering: a business must make sure money passing through it is legitimate, and bank statements show that. The second is social responsibility: spotting signs that someone may be gambling with money they don’t have. The same page says businesses may set limits against income using open-source data and ONS figures, and may make requests themselves or through a third party.
That second reason links source of funds to the Commission’s wider customer interaction rules, which require casinos to look for signs of harm and act on them. Where the signs are strong, marketing and new bonus take-up must stop, as our page on bonuses and harm indicators explains.
Documents casinos accept as proof of funds
Where the money came from and the evidence that usually shows it
Source
Evidence that typically shows it
What the casino looks for
Employment income
Recent payslips and the bank statement they are paid into
Deposits that fit the income
Savings
Savings account statements
Money built up over time, then moved
Sale of property
Completion statement from a solicitor
A one-off lump sum and its date
Inheritance
Solicitor’s or executor’s letter
Amount and date received
Gambling winnings elsewhere
Statements showing payouts from a licensed operator
Where the winnings were paid in
Self-employment
Business bank statements or a tax return
Regular income consistent with deposits
The Commission page names bank statements and information about irregular income, such as a pending house sale, as examples of what may be asked for. The rest of the table reflects the documents a casino’s compliance team commonly accepts; the request itself will say what it needs. Blank out unrelated transactions only if the casino says that is acceptable, because edited statements can delay a review.
A source of funds example with numbers
Imagine someone who usually deposits £20 a month and then puts in £1,500 over a fortnight after selling a car. A casino’s risk team may notice the change and ask where the money came from. A bank statement showing the £1,500 credit from the buyer, plus the dated sale receipt, answers it. Until the review is done, the casino may hold further deposits or a withdrawal; our entry on account restriction covers how that looks.
Compare that with a different check that often gets mixed up with it. Since 28 February 2025, casinos must run a financial vulnerability check when your deposits minus withdrawals pass £150 in a rolling 30 days, under LCCP 3.4.4 (opens in a new tab). Deposit £400 and withdraw £200 in that window and your net deposit is £200, so the check applies. It looks at public records such as bankruptcies and county court judgments, and you won’t usually be asked for anything. Credit-reference “affordability” assessments for the heaviest spenders were piloted but are not live.
Withdrawals, bonuses and funds questions
Commission guidance says a withdrawal request must not trigger requests for information that could reasonably have been asked for earlier, unless another legal obligation requires it at that point. Anti-money-laundering law can be that obligation, so a source of funds question at payout isn’t automatically unfair, but it should relate to something specific rather than be a routine hurdle. The Commission’s guidance on identity verification (opens in a new tab) sets the limits.
A welcome bonus doesn’t change the picture. The offers on this site start from a £10 deposit or a £10 slots bet, well below the amounts that usually draw questions, but a check can come at any stage if deposit patterns change. If one delays a payout, our answers on why a withdrawal was declined and what a source of funds check is explain the next steps.
How to respond to a source of funds request
Read the request carefully and note exactly which documents and date range it asks for.
Download statements as PDFs from your bank rather than taking screenshots.
Upload them through the casino’s secure account tool, not by email or chat.
Keep a copy of what you sent and the date, in case you need to escalate.
If you think the request is unreasonable, complain in writing and, after 8 weeks without a resolution, ask for referral to an ADR service such as IBAS.
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Frequently asked questions
What does source of funds mean at a casino?
It means proof of where the money you deposit comes from, such as wages, savings or a one-off sale. A UK casino may ask for it to meet anti-money-laundering duties and to check that you aren’t gambling money you can’t afford. Bank statements are the usual evidence. It is separate from the identity checks done at sign-up, which our KYC entry explains, and only some customers are ever asked.
What triggers a source of funds check?
There is no single published pound figure. Each casino sets its own triggers under its anti-money-laundering risk assessment, and a sudden rise in deposits compared with your usual pattern is a common one. The Commission also expects casinos to watch for signs of harm, which can lead to questions about income. A £150 net deposit in 30 days triggers a different, public-record check described on our financial vulnerability checks page.
Do I have to provide source of funds documents?
The Commission’s guidance explains why casinos ask but doesn’t say what happens if you refuse. In practice a casino that can’t complete a required check is likely to restrict the account until it can, because it has legal duties of its own. It must not confiscate your deposit-balance money as a result. If you think a request is unfair, complain in writing first, following our guide on how to complain about a bonus.
Is source of funds the same as an affordability check?
Not quite. A funds request asks where specific deposits came from, mainly for anti-money-laundering reasons, and usually needs documents from you. The phrase “affordability check” is often used for credit-reference assessments, which were only piloted and are not live; the Commission itself calls the label inaccurate. Our guide on how affordability checks affect bonuses explains what is and isn’t in force in 2026.
Can a source of funds check delay my withdrawal?
Yes, it can. If a casino has a legal reason to ask, for example under anti-money-laundering law, it may hold a payout until the review is complete. Commission guidance says it shouldn’t demand information at withdrawal that it could reasonably have asked for earlier, so the request should relate to something specific. Sending clear PDF statements quickly is the best way to shorten the wait; see pending withdrawal for the usual stages.
Can I use bonus winnings as my source of funds?
Winnings paid out by another licensed casino can be part of your answer if a statement shows where they landed, but the casino will still want to know what funded the original play. A bonus itself is not a source of funds, because it is the operator’s money. Keeping simple records of deposits and withdrawals helps; our guide on how to keep records of bonuses suggests a format.
Gambling can be addictive. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. Visit GamCare.org.uk and GamCare, or block yourself from all UK-licensed gambling sites with GAMSTOP.
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