The four panelists of the Parliamentary All-Party Betting and Gaming Group (APBGG) met on May 7 to discuss the player controls by the gambling industry. They unanimously concluded that the industry is not doing enough. The four panelists included Senet Group’s chief executive officer Sarah Hanratty and chief executive officer of the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) Wes Himes. Other members were BACTA’s chief executive officer John White and managing director and head of the strategy at Revealing Reality,Parliamentary All-Party Betting and Gaming Group (APBGG)
The panelists agreed that the gambling industry should divest more control to the players. Though all panelists had different ideas about how it could be achieved, they all agreed that it would take multiple steps to improve the current situation in the market. Himes suggested that players should be given more direct control over their accounts and must have the ability to close them. They should be allowed to access their account history. He said that self-exclusion tools would prove to have better results with problem cases. Some of the operators already offer this kind of control, but Himes said that it should be more widespread in the industry.
There is also some lack of awareness about these tools. According to a recent study, about 41% of customers do not know about the self-exclusion tools available to them. White added that adding extra features for the players and educating them about the tools is not enough. The operators should actively ensure that their customers stay away from harmful behaviors on their platforms. This can be achieved by the regulation of bonuses offered to problem players. If operators start deploying automation, they will be able to notice problem cases much faster.
Hanratty added that players seek more control of their accounts now, but operators need to show leadership in providing it to them. The slow movers, in this case, might be able to capture a bit more revenue, but their bad example would hurt the overall industry. The UK is creating a new example in researching and regulating the gambling industry. The government and its departments are working in conjunction with some non-profits to bring about new regulations in the market. The authorities are working to bring more customer protections and ensuring that gambling-related harm is reduced, especially in underage kids.
