An updated set of standards will be out in place in British betting shops starting November 1 under a “Responsible Gambling Code” developed by the Association of British Bookmakers.
The code will be introduced by all members of the association. It includes a ban on the advertising of gaming machines in shop windows, development of a national self-exclusion list and a ban on TV ads touting free bets as a sign-up incentive before 9pm.
The code is designed to help betting shop staff identify gamblers who may be developing gambling problems and may be at risk to gambling addiction.
For example, the code asks shop staff to challenge customers on their age as soon as they enter a shop, to further protect against underage gambling.
The code will be enforced by the independent Responsible Gambling Committee, which will have the power to revoke an operator’s membership, association officials said.
“The past year has been a year of innovation for the industry in the area of responsible gambling,” said ABB Chief Executive Malcolm George in a press statement. “The initial code signaled our intent to take action this area and introduced some important early steps. However, as the industry trials and rolls out initiatives such as multi-operator self-exclusion and new ways of using customer data to identify potential harm, it is important that our Code is updated to reflect these developments.
“We have also cemented our commitment in the original code to work with local councils by signing a partnership agreement with the Local Government Association to work together more closely, and we are piloting cross-operator self-exclusion schemes in Chatham and Glasgow and working with the Gambling Commission to introduce a national cross operator scheme in the New Year,” he said. “We have also strengthened the Safe Bet Alliance guidelines for keeping shops as safe from crime as possible.”
The first Code for Responsible Gambling was launched in October 2013 and allowed players to set a limit on the amount of time they play for, or the money they spend. The new code now requires players to decide yes or no on whether they wish to set a limit.
Meanwhile, Britain’s gambling industry funded Responsible Gaming Trust will study the effects of remote gambling,
The trust has hired data experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct the study, which is expected to take eighteen months to complete. The two-phase study intends to build on the Trust’s December findings on customer behavior on gaming machines.
Officials said the study will explore industry data and the potential of behavioral analytics in mitigating the potential for harm related to gambling.
Chief executive of RGT, Marc Etches said, “RGT is committed to commissioning research not only to understand player behavior but to improve processes in the industry to mitigate gambling-related harm,” said Marc Etches, chief executive of the trust.
