A new research study has provided additional evidence of the positive effect multi-operator self-exclusion schemes can have on people struggling with gambling harm. The study results were published on the official websites of GamCare, which is an organisation dedicated to providing help to people affected by gambling harms.
A study conducted by IPSOS was based on 30 follow-up interviews with respondents who have signed up for self-exclusion schemes. The interviews were conducted three years after the baseline study was launched, with 71% of the original participants also taking part in the follow-up study.
Due to the extensive duration of the research in this area, the study was able to provide insights shared by long-term participants in such schemes.
The majority of study participants confirmed they were still participating in one or more self-exclusion schemes. Some respondents reported having returned to gambling after they felt they had more control over their gambling habits.
The general opinion that participants shared was that self-exclusion schemes had helped them reduce problem gambling behaviour even though they recognised the limitations of such programmes. Some of the respondents shared they were able to return back to gambling either by breaching such schemes or by trying gambling at venues they have not been excluded from.
Even though self-exclusion schemes had their lacking points, participants acknowledged that such measures were a “speedbump” for gambling as self-excluded participants had to make extra efforts to gamble. Some respondents determined self-exclusion schemes as having little effect on their gambling habits as they were able to easily circumvent restrictions and return to problem gambling patterns.
There was little evidence for self-excluded participants who have transfers for another form of gambling. Despite that, some respondents admitted to having signed up for multiple self-exclusion schemes. Often, the switch to another gambling mode was from land-based to online gambling, especially during the pandemic. That was the reason behind GamStop’s conjunction with other schemes for preventing gambling harm.
Casinos Being Most Effective in Preventing Self-Exclusion Breaches
Casinos were seen as the sector that was most effective in preventing breaches of self-exclusion. When it came to brick-and-mortar gaming venues, respondents chose casino staff as the most effective in preventing breaches. Meanwhile, arcades and betting shops were easy to breach with staff failing to recognise self-excluded individuals or simply never checking if customers are enrolled in such schemes.
Some participants called for the implementation of more advanced technology such as facial recognition or self-exclusion on a national level, which may help arcades and betting shops to be more effective in preventing self-exclusion violations.
A few of the interviewed individuals shared about their re-enrollment in self-exclusion schemes, with some of them giving the positive impact of the measure as the reason to re-enrol after their self-exclusion periods have ended. For those who decided to continue their self-exclusion enrollments, there were several options that made the process easier. Many participants were able to re-enrol for the scheme online or via the phone. This allowed them to continue their self-exclusion without setting foot inside gambling venues.
Many of the respondents appreciated the effect of multi-sector self-exclusion schemes, with the majority of participants participating in an online self-exclusion scheme and land-based self-exclusion at the same time. Several respondents showed appreciation for GamStop which was available to those who wished to exclude themselves from online gambling activities.
- Author
Olivia Cole
