Gambling Commission assessment finds slot reforms “reduced play intensity”
Following reforms in 2021, an assessment carried out by the regulator also found no harmful unintended consequences
The Gambling Commission (GC) has found that the new player protections across online slots introduced in 2021 have resulted in “reduced play intensity” and “has not resulted in harmful unintended consequences”.
The regulator brought in a suite of slot reforms in October 2021 to “strengthen” the protections and controls for customers.
These reforms included a limit on the number of spins, a ban on features that speed up play or give players an illusion of control, as well as a ban on autoplay features. Sounds or imagery that give players the impression they are winning when the return is below the stake were likewise prohibited.
It is also a requirement that operators clearly display a player’s total losses and duration of play during the session.
Following an assessment of these changes, the GC said it had drawn a number of conclusions and that there was “some evidence” of reduced play intensity in online slots.
The GC said: “The report shows that despite a cap on the maximum spin speed, the proportion of stakes at the highest values decreased in the months following the changes, and the proportion of sessions lasting in excess of an hour also decreased. As a whole, general engagement with slots increased over the same time period.”
The regulator highlighted it had based this assessment on a number of sources. These included its online tracker survey and its quarterly gambling prevalence telephone survey.
Tim Miller, GC director for policy and research, said: “Our assessment of the changes to online slots games has shown indications of reduced play intensity with no significant negative impacts on play or behaviours.
“That’s positive, but we aren’t complacent and will continue to monitor this specific part of the sector for both any unintended circumstances, or non-compliance.”