The iGaming industry of the UK is hoping to develop a special framework that would cover the entire online gambling sector in order to help operators identify potential gambling addicts and prevent them from losing control on their betting habits.
These hopes come after the leading charity organisation GambleAware has announced the results of a recent research revealing the gambling addicts’ spending habits. At the time when the charity revealed its findings, campaigners shared that the report would be helpful to the online gambling operators in order to raise their awareness when it comes to identification and protection of more vulnerable players who are put at greater risk to become gambling addicts.
Problem gambling behaviour has become one of the most widely identified issues related to the contemporary online gambling industry. The number of UK players being described as gambling addicts has greatly increased over the last few years, which is why the country’s Government and various governmental authorities and non-profit organisations trying to minimise the negative impact.
GambleAware Research Findings
As Casino Guardian reported yesterday, the research has been carried out by PwC and provided local gambling companies with some data that could be used for helping them identify potential problem gamblers.
GambleAware revealed that at the time the research was held, over 10,000 customers of some of the largest iGaming operators in the UK provided campaigners with access to their accounts data for the study’s goals. The data taken into account included the amount of times the players bet on a daily basis, the amounts of their bets, the amount they win and lose, as well as the time of day when they prefer to bet. The gamblers’ age, gender, marital, social and employment status were also included in the study.
As mentioned above, the information gathered could be used by local iGaming operators to learn who of their customers are were more likely to develop problem gambling behaviour. As shared by the Chief Executive Officer of GambleAware, Mark Etches, the increasing popularity of mobile devices had made it easier for players to place bets whenever they want to, regardless of their location.
He also explained that it was a good thing that the UK remote gabling industry has started working together in order to seek and explore various ways aimed at identifying problem gambling behaviour and protecting players at risk more efficiently.
UK Industry Vs. Problem Gambling
GambleAware research on gambling addicts’ betting habits comes at a time when the Government’s long-awaited gambling sector review is expected to be published. The announcement of the review’s results has already been postponed until the autumn, as certain disagreements between the UK Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Apart from sharing his hopes that the remote gambling industry is to become more united in order to tackle the problems related to gambling addictions, GambleAware’s CEO Mark Etches also lifted the curtain on the next stage of the charity’s research project.
Mr. Etches explained that GambleAware plans to focus on testing designs and various intervention methods that could be used by online gambling operators to intervene in case of potential gambling addictions. The result of the tests could be announced at the beginning of 2018.
According to the organisation’s boss, it is crucial for companies to make sure their customers will have access to the necessary advice and protection whenever they choose to place a bet. The UK gambling industry has already joined forces to make sure suitable protection is provided to local players. A self-exclusion scheme has already been presented in order to provide customers with the opportunity to prevent themselves from placing bets for a certain period of time.
UK authorities have already taken some measures to make self-exclusion easier and to offer betting protection to players, giving them the chance to exclude themselves from any regulated gambling website in case they choose to exclude themselves from one website.
- Author
Daniel Williams
