GambleAware calls on industry to focus resources on safer gambling tools

GambleAware has suggested gambling operators do not focus enough attention on the product development of safer gambling tools.

In the findings of its latest report, the charity implored stakeholders to increase its focus on developing and launching effective safer gambling tools with the same effort and at the same speed as shown across other product verticals.

The call comes following a research project in tandem with bet365, which aimed to understand the current standard of safer gambling tools and to generate evidence based on customer behaviour and betting habits.

The study saw 23,592 bet365 customers without deposit limits receive three on-site pop-up notifications, all of which invited them to set up deposit limits.

The first was a standard deposit limit setting with a drop-down menu to select an amount. The second, dubbed the self-persuasion group, was asked to select a limit and also to reflect on what advice they would give to someone else who was setting a limit via a personal message.

The third group, personal commitment, saw customers invited to select a reason why they were setting their limit.

The second and third groups then received a text message providing details of the deposit limit options they had selected.

However, the trial results came back as an apparent “backfire”, according to GambleAware, with all three groups showing no major deviation in the setting of deposit limits.

In fact, a smaller proportion of customers in the second and third group elected to set a deposit limit compared to the standard control group.

GambleAware said: “Customers in the treatment arms were presented with additional information to read, and choices to make.

“Asking customers to reflect on limit-setting motivations may have triggered an aversive emotional response, and/or the use of SMS messaging may have been off-putting.”

The charity concluded with reflections for the future of safer gambling tool development and urged the industry to reapply its focus in this area.

GambleAware said: “Innovations in safer gambling tool provision have not kept pace with other areas of product development.

“We recommend that the regulator calls on the industry to show innovation in their safer gambling tool designs.

“There remains a paucity of evidence on the impacts of safer gambling tools on British gamblers’ behaviours.

“Robust trials necessitate being able to recruit from the most representative samples of gambling customers possible,” the charity added.