The newly formed Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has revealed that gambling machines situated in betting outlets across the UK have been supplied with special algorithms that will make sure the gameplay is interrupted whenever any signs of problem gambling are detected.
As the BGC explained, the new real-time algorithm for gaming machines is called an Anonymous Player Awareness System (APAS). The algorithm is to be used to identify signs of compulsive gambling behaviour that could harm the players. Indications for problem gambling will trigger an on-screen alert and would forcibly interrupt the gameplay. Such forced breaks are known under the term “cooling-off period”.
Along with this measure, the betting shop’s staff would be simultaneously notified about the signs of problem gambling shown by the player, which would allow a Responsible Gambling Interaction (RGI).
The introduction of the real-time algorithm APAS will be made in the entire network of fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in all betting shops across the UK. The measure is taken several months after the official implementation of the stricter regulatory crackdown on FOBTs’ maximum betting stakes that were slashed from £100 to £2 this spring. However, as shared by a Betting and Gaming Council’s spokesperson, the development of the APAS product started before the electronic gaming machines’ stake reduction took place.
The New APAS Algorithm Would Complement Other Measures Imposed on Electronic Gaming Machines
The introduction of the new Anonymous Player Awareness System is aimed at making sure that British betting shops’ customers are provided with a safe gambling environment. The forced “cooling-off” periods are being added as an extra tool on controversial FOBTs to prevent the potential harm that could be inflicted on players at the time when the latter show any signs of compulsive gambling habits.
Other measures that have already been imposed on electronic gaming machines available at local betting outlets include responsible gaming messaging on the terminals’ displays, as well as time and spending limit settings.
The introduction of the APAS system has been made as part of the engagement of the Betting and Gaming Council to protect British gamblers from the possible negative effects that gambling could have on their finances, as well as on their physical or mental health. Apart from that, the BGC also revealed that it would provide a £10-million funding for a national education programme that is especially aimed at raising children’s and young people’s awareness of the gambling-related harm over the next four years.
The implementation of the new APAS algorithm would complement the ongoing measures aimed at tackling the risks associated with FOBTs and gambling in general. For years, the electronic gaming machines have been criticised for their addictive character and the harm they have allegedly been doing to British gamblers by affecting not only their finances but also their families, health and even lives.
- Author
Olivia Cole
