The importance of accessible RG tools

Ensuring Responsible Gambling (RG) is a pillar in the everyday operations of all companies in the betting and gaming sector, and rightly so. We often hear about the different tools and mechanics available to support players in controlling their gaming habits but what’s equally important is how accessible they are to the user.

Accessibility is crucial for the average player, but even more so for those affected by different impairments that could make it harder for them to access and use different products, including RG tools. When you consider that in the UK alone, 22 percent of the population has some kind of disability, companies could potentially be isolating a significant number of people by not ensuring their websites and apps are fully accessible.

When designing and developing digital gaming products, RG mechanisms should be included from the start of the user journey, and throughout, to mitigate gambling harm and to best support users through their experience from a frontend point of view. This includes pushing RG presence on the home page, through the registration process and when depositing funds. This normalises RG tools from the get-go and will help avoid annoyance once mandatory or voluntarily limits are reached.

Once a player is active, it should be easy for users to access their own data, presented in a simple, relatable and understandable format. Only presenting myriad numbers is not enough. Data visualisations with appropriate colours, icons and text that are indicative of the nature of the behaviour helps the user better understand how they are playing.

There are different metrics that can be used to further help users recognise their gaming behaviour such as the volume of bets staked, the combined amount of deposits and the profit vs loss over time. These visualisations should be simple and uncomplicated. We have seen great examples of this in other sectors, such as banking, were basic graphs can show consumers how much money they have spent within any time period which can be compared with earlier expenditure.

Furthermore, positive play messages should be used over negative warnings. Negative RG messaging can be seen as criticism of a player’s behaviour and will therefore be ignored while a positive message is proven to be more effective at encouraging change in behaviour.

One great example of clear and consistent design for RG tools can be found in Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo native app.  The Mecca team has introduced an easily accessible RG tool menu where players can instantly see what options are available to help them play safely. Not only does this protect players through the RG mechanisms themselves, but the transparency inherent in the design also heightens trust in both brand and product which leads to greater user retention.

RG tools can also be made more fun with some operators now offering layers of gamification in their apps by introducing tasks, goals and competitions to track users’ progress around RG. This unique approach has successfully carved out an entertaining yet informative way to not only protect players through responsible gambling mechanisms but to engage them also.

RG tools should not be a barrier to play but a facilitator of safe play. While RG is at the forefront of all serious operators’ minds, we as an industry still have a lot of work to do. The boundaries need to be constantly pushed and evolved in this crucial area. Improving accessibility and normalising RG tools is such an important part of how we advance as a sector and will ensure that gaming products can be enjoyed safely by all.

Tom Atfield has served as the creative director at mkodo since July 2016, first joining the company in February 2011. Prior to this, the UI and UX specialist spent six years at ATS.