Poll results: social gaming should allow players to set spend limits
With no formal plans in place to regulate the sector, readers believe spend limits could protect vulnerable players.
Following examples cited in the media last month hinting at the possibility of gambling addictions developing through social gaming, eGR asked whether social games should allow players to set spend limits.
An overwhelming majority of readers believe it should, with 86% of those polled arguing that players ought to be able to determine personal deposit limits before playing, while 14% disagreed.
Earlier this month, William Hill CEO Ralph Topping helped fuel the debate, writing on his blog: “It cannot be right that a child can buy chips to play on an online slot which is (almost) as good as anything you’ll find on williamhill.com.”
Last month The Daily Mail cited the example of how a 12-year-old schoolboy lost £7,000 on real-money poker having begun playing the game on freeplay sites, and in another article described how one player spent US$13,500 (£8,500) on a social gaming site over three months.
A This is Money article claimed the UK Gambling Commission was considering regulating social games, but the Commission swiftly rejected this rumour. A subsequent eGR poll found that a narrow majority of readers believe the sector needs regulation, with 52% of those polled voting in favour.
However, industry experts have told eGR that social games would be unprofitable if regulation is introduced, with Plumbee founder and CEO Raf Keustermans arguing that the lack of a ‘cash-out’ in the sector’s games should prevent problem gambling.
“There are different phases to gambling addiction problems developing,” he said. “The biggest trigger for gambling addiction, the point where it becomes a major issue, is when people start chasing their losses. People start putting in more money to try and cover their losses, wasting savings, stealing from employers. Obviously that vicious cycle is broken if you have no cash-out.”
But in the absence of social regulation, introducing spending limits is seen by many as a viable option which could ease fears about underage or problem gambling.