How can suppliers do more to stop problem gambling?

When this industry is in the news, the spotlight invariably trains on problem gambling. And in recent months, that focus has sharpened significantly.

Recent stories bear this out: so far this year, media attention has centred on several stories including, for example, letters sent by Claire Murdoch, head of NHS mental health services in England, to five major betting companies demanding the industry come together to take more action on preventing gambling addiction. News of the UK Gambling Commission announcing a ban on credit card betting was equally widespread.

With some of the market’s biggest brands under fire for aggressive VIP schemes and excessive TV advertising, it’s no surprise to see them grab the headlines. However, the media’s preoccupation with operators ignores the industry’s equally important supplier side. This begs the question – can suppliers do more, and if so, how?

Player safety gamification

Many providers already use gamification to supplement content with the necessary toolkits to promote it. If marketing features are widely used to activate and retain customers, then safeguards against problem gambling are certainly worthy of consideration.

The question is – how exactly is this achievable? The answer could lie in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Machine learning is now a viable option when it comes to such protection measures.

A supplier’s data across their network can prove to be an invaluable resource in identifying problem-gambling among players. Several operators have internal player protection teams in place to profile problematic behaviours and provide reasonable intervention to those who fall into such a category. Suppliers can work closely with the operators to provide a holistic view of the player in question.

For instance, within a programmatic AI model, certain triggers could be set up to prompt a set of predefined outcomes. This might involve a particularly large loss or a lengthy game session prompting an in-game self-exclusion button.

Within a machine learning model, AI could be “assigned” to learn each player’s behaviour patterns and offer virtual rewards and incentives for taking a break from abnormal patterns of gameplay. Although player protection is mandatory in the vast majority of regulated markets, adding this entertainment element could potentially increase engagement.

At NetGaming, we consider responsible gambling an integral component of a player’s journey. We always look to supplement our content with solutions that support this approach. However, such additions would be subject to a rigorous research and development phase as well as extensive dialogue with our partners. Following that process, the first steps are likely to include creating and testing prototypes with customisation and activation options via our back office.

Potential pitfalls

The strong potential of these ideas is matched by the challenges they present – not least the issues they raise around information and data privacy. Most operators fully understand the importance of responsible gambling. However, some may raise concerns about the impact on revenue, remaining cautious of anything that could damage their bottom line.

Nevertheless, the context of an increasingly unforgiving media environment could spell the start of a revenue-damaging regulatory clampdown as authorities come under pressure to act. In practice, a variety of blunt policy instruments could be deployed ranging from stake limits and player spending caps to outright advertising bans and tax hikes.

To avert such a disaster, companies of all sizes from every part of the industry should work together and find a solution. And this should include both suppliers and operators.

Richard Wanigasekera is COO at NetGaming and has experience spanning over 15 years and across commercial, business development and operational roles throughout the affiliate and egaming industries.