An increasing number of tools and resources are being developed and made available to assist customers to understand gambling products and keep their gambling to a level which does not result in harm for themselves or others. Such tools, often referred to as enabling “responsible gambling,” “safer,” or “sustainable” gambling are typically seen by customers as positive and helpful. However, most customers view these as being intended for people with gambling problems, and as such, irrelevant for themselves. Much like the proverbial tree falling in the wood, do the tools work if no one is using them?
Research, including by my team, have found barriers to using tools such as deposit limits to include being perceived as irrelevant for “regular” players, too confusing, and not necessary. Conversely, using theoretical models, we have found that when customers have a positive attitude towards using tools, perceive others to be using them, and they are sufficiently easy to engage with, they are much more likely to intend to and actually use these.
We know that information in itself is insufficient to change behavior. However, it can inform attitudes and motivations, particularly if it is provided at the right time and is made to be personally relevant. If efforts being made by the marketing departments of gambling companies to understand what motivates customers was put towards driving engagement with sustainable gambling tools, we may start to shift the dial in terms of these being positioned in a manner that highlights the many benefits. Similarly, by positioning tools as a central part of player accounts and encouraging their use, this would socialize the use of tools as for all players.
Finally, but unsurprisingly, tools must be simple and easy to use. Again, gambling companies are increasingly using AI to track customers and identify their patterns and preferences – the same technology could be used to auto-suggest appropriate limits based on past play and present these to customers to confirm rather than making customers work these out themselves.
There are a few key principles to sustainable gambling:
- Define and stick to a budget (<1 percent of income is a good benchmark)
- Understand the game/product and expected (negative) returns
- Be aware of your biases – take regular breaks to check in with yourself and whether your behavior is in line with #1
Pilot research by my team found that among the regular gambling customers we spoke to, the most requested tool was something to help them track their spend. This is completely consistent with the outlined principles as tracking spend allows people to make informed, intentional decisions and monitor these over time. Many people focus on the short-term wins but not the lifetime spend (or losses), which is a natural human bias.
The Australian government recently mandated that all major online wagering companies send active customers an activity statement clearly outlining their wins and losses over the previous six months. Although the impact is not yet evaluated (watch this space…), this is a step in the right direction in terms of greater transparency for customers and ensuring customers have access to their data for their own purposes.
My team at the University of Sydney Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic is conducting a series of research projects to understand how to best communicate with regular gambling customers to position tools in a way that encourages use and subsequent sustainable gambling behaviors. Our approach uses co-design techniques, meaning that we involve gambling customers, gambling operators, policy makers and treatment providers throughout the research process to ensure our findings are implementation ready. All stakeholders will need to play a role and share their expertise to ensure that innovative and novel approaches are taken to continue to advance harm minimisation efforts in a manner that is as dynamic and engaging as gambling products.
Disclosure of interests:
I have received research funding, in-kind support, and honorariums from a range of stakeholders including industry, government, and not-for-profit. All research is published without constraint and no stakeholder can influence research methodology, analysis, or dissemination. Where possible, data and methods are sharable and methods pre-registered. Please contact me if you have any questions.
