FRACT logo

Voluntary — but credible

Industry-led. Each scheme owner formally adopts and commits venue operators.

Cross-sector adoption

Allowing all four UK land-based self-exclusion schemes to be covered simultaneously.

Standards-aligned

Aligned with BS 9347:2024, UK GDPR, DPA 2018, Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and ICO FRT guidance.

Governance-backed

Multi-scheme Board with independent chair. Formal channel to regulators.

The Challenge: self-exclusion enforcement failures in land-based gambling venues

Read More

BBC File on 4 — June 2025

Undercover investigation found self-excluded individuals able to access multiple Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) in Southern England undetected. The Gambling Commission launched a formal investigation in response.
Source: BBC News

Gambling Commission enforcement — May 2025

An AGC was suspended for failure to participate in a self-exclusion scheme — the first such suspension. The Commission CEO addressed Bacta’s Annual Convention on heightened AGC scrutiny throughout 2025.
Source: Gambling Commission

Bacta Self-Exclusion Plan — Sept 2025

Bacta’s enhanced plan calls explicitly for ‘investment in advanced technology, including the development of a unified national scheme for operators’ — the precise need FRACT addresses.
Source: Bacta

The FRACT pillars, founded on the guidance set out in BS 9347:2024

Read More

Governance & Accountability

Clear accountability at every level of the supply chain. Named responsible persons. Documented controller responsibilities. Audit rights established. Annual review cycle mandated.

Human Agency & Oversight

Mandatory human-in-the-loop verification before any adverse action. No consequential decision based solely on FR output. Staff training required at every venue.

Privacy & Data Governance

UK GDPR / DPA 2018 compliant. DPIA mandatory. 24-hour deletion of alert images (hard rule). Data minimisation. Privacy notices and venue signage required.

Technical Robustness & Safety

NIST FRVT accuracy benchmarks required. Site-specific testing before go-live. Appropriate similarity threshold. 99.8% uptime SLA. Incident response plan.

Transparency & Explainability

Venue signage at all entry points. Published privacy notices. Explainable process for individuals. ICO registration required. FRACT accredited register published.

Non-Discrimination & Fairness

Bias audit required for accreditation. Demographic accuracy monitoring ongoing. Mandatory suspension if error rates cannot be mitigated. Equality Act 2010 compliance.

Questions about FRACT accreditation?

Learn more about the proposed standard, accreditation process, governance requirements and deployment expectations.

View all FAQs

FRACT — the Facial Recognition Accreditation, Compliance & Technical Standard — is a voluntary, cross-sector governance standard setting the minimum requirements for the ethical, lawful and technically robust deployment of facial recognition technology in UK land-based gambling self-exclusion schemes.
FRACT is expressed through five principles that share its name: Fairness, Responsibility, Accuracy, Compliance and Transparency. They are the plain-language statement of what the standard requires, and they give effect to the six pillars of BS 9347:2024 on which FRACT is founded.
FRACT is designed to apply across all four UK land-based self-exclusion schemes — covering betting shops, casinos, bingo and adult gaming centres — rather than any single sector in isolation.
No. FRACT is voluntary. It does not replace existing legal obligations under UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 or the Gambling Commission’s requirements — it gives effect to them through a single, assessable standard.
FRACT is founded on the six pillars of BS 9347:2024, the British Standard for the ethical deployment of facial recognition. It adopts those pillars as its foundation. FRACT is its own accreditation standard and is not a certification against BS 9347:2024.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions or comments about the FRACT Standard or need more information, complete the form on the right.