As part of its 2021 review of gambling, the U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) published statistics on the potential effect Covid-19 lockdowns have had on activity. The report revealed a lack of significant increase in gambling from the onset of the pandemic.
In a survey of more than 3,000 adults, 60 percent reported no change in their habits, while 27 percent indicated a decrease. Only 13 percent gambled more, according to SBC News. The average time per gambling session increased from 21 to 22 minutes, with 8 percent lasting more than an hour.
Online gambling marked an area with increased activity—a month-on-month increase of 3 percent in active accounts, and 4 percent in bets. But gross gambling yield fell 13 percent.
The commission found that the average loss-per-player in online slots came across significantly higher than other online action. During October and November, customer interactions increased by 3 percent to just over a million. The highest proportion of new gamblers belonged to online gaming, given the closure of betting shops and casinos.
The report also said women under the age of 35 were the most likely demographic to gamble in the wake of the pandemic. But men spend more.
Commission CEO Neil McArthur stressed the importance of compliance checks and betting operators to protect their customers.
“The gambling industry and daily life as a whole continues to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and whilst there is some light and hope ahead with the vaccine, I want to ensure operators are clear of our expectations,” he said.
In related news, HSBC U.K. extended its cooling off period for a gambling block from 24 to 72 hours. The extension comes after the Commission reported a month-on-month rise of 29 percent in gross gambling yield and a 7 percent increase in active accounts.
“This is a challenging time for many of our customers, with some not working and perhaps facing financial difficulty. By increasing the restriction to 72 hours, this will help give our customers time to pause when they are tempted to return to gambling,” said Maxine Pritchard, HSBC head of financial inclusion and vulnerability.
HSBC’s self-restriction option bars customers from contributing to the gambling accounts. The feature also refuses gambling transactions for three days so problem gamblers can get a grip on their spending.
The option is available to both HSBC U.K. and First Direct patrons who have an active debit card. Both companies offer specialized support groups to help those at risk for financial calamities from gambling.
“The ability to block gambling transactions through your bank card or app is an important tool for those struggling with their gambling, and is ideally used together with other practical tools such as self-exclusion, blocking software, and specialist support around the issue,” said Anna Hemmings, CEO of GamCare, which is helping with the system.
The University of Bristol Personal Finance Research Centre said features such as a cooling-off period is an important component to success, Hemmings said. Advocates also call for flexibility in setting deposit limits.
In its research, Behavioural Insights Team discovered that when deposit limits are not specified, players reduce the amount of online play by 46 percent. The team recommended that players use an empty box and set their own limits, according to Gambling Insider.
“This report shows how seemingly superficial changes to the way that gambling sites offer deposit tools, if implemented across the industry and for all customers, will deliver large benefits to individuals who gamble and society as a whole, without constraining customer choice,” said BIT Consumer Markets and Business Advisor, Rosanna Barry.
The study, commissioned by GambleAware, looked at different deposit limit settings for Bet365 customers. The 1,731 customers choose between three different versions of the deposit limit page.
Of those, 604 customers went to Beth365’s standard page, with a drop-down menu that offered choices from £5 (US$6.86) to £100,000, or to continue gambling without a limit.
The second, viewed by 571 customers, suggested a range of deposit limits up to £250, as well as the ‘no limit’ option. And the final option available to 556 got an empty box where they can write their own limits, according to iGaming Business.
The authors added that further study should be undertaken into deposit limit best practices. “Much more work is needed to test robustly and independently the impacts of various facets of online gambling using randomized controlled trials in live business environments,” the Behavioural Insights Team said. “Only then will robust, independent evidence exist to inform policies, practices and procedures.”
