ATG finds high-risk players limit their gambling spend by 66% after intervention
Swedish horseracing operator publishes its bi-annual responsible gambling data, accounting for H2 2024
ATG’s high-risk players managed to curb their gambling spend by two thirds after intervention from the operator, according to its latest sustainable gambling data.
The company has published its bi-annual responsible gambling metrics, with the latest dataset accounting for the period of July to December 2024.
The figures showed the Stockholm-based horseracing operator contacted 1.6% of its customer base during the period as a result of high-risk gambling behaviour.
This figure remained flat when compared to H1 2024, and up slightly from the 1.5% contacted in H2 2023.
Methods of contact included messaging on the company website, SMS and emails, as well as phone calls with responsible gaming communicators.
When contacted about their gambling habits, 56.3% of ATG players opted to reduce their spending, down from 58.9% in H1 and 56.4% in H2 2023.
On average, players reduced their spending by 66.2% after contact, the highest figure recorded by the operator since it began publishing its responsible gambling statistics when?.
The data revealed that 1.4% of players decided to self-exclude from gambling for fewer than six months, slightly down from 1.5% in the first half of the year, while 1.8% opted for an exclusion period of six months or longer – down from 2.3% in H1.
Sophie Linghag, head of fair play at ATG, said: “The key figure for contacts with customers with risky gambling [behaviour] is clearly linked to the types of gambling the company offers and the audience it attracts.
“Risky gambling does not necessarily constitute a sign of a gambling problem. One of the main reasons for contacting customers with risky gambling is precisely for reasons of care and for preventive purposes, to find out how the customer is doing and whether the customer is experiencing problems with their gambling.”
Linghag also highlighted the importance of transparency for operators when it comes to reporting on these statistics.
She continued: “Transparency helps drive the gaming industry in a more sustainable direction.
“The key figures are relevant to report on the basis that they constitute the core of the duty of care, an important provision in the Gambling Act: to monitor risky gambling patterns, make contacts and ensure limited gambling when there is reason to do so.”
A report released by ATG in December 2024 estimated that the rate of channelisation in Sweden sits as low as between 70% and 82%, falling far short of the government’s target of 90%.