The gaming and betting industry has accumulated huge popularity in recent years. By going online, the gaming and gambling industry is now available to a larger public. With its accelerated popularity and giant fanbase, people have also started noticing the problems behind this industry. 

With the steady rise of the gambling industry, there is also an upsurge in gambling addiction. Due to the rise of problem gambling and gambling addiction, conversations regarding responsible gambling have taken the spotlight. 

Problem Gambling and Gambling Addiction

The term “Problem Gambling” refers to the difficulties faced by a gambler in controlling his expenditure of time and money on gambling activities. Problem gambling is very common within the gambling community and leads to adverse outcomes for the gambler and his family. 

The pandemic has triggered a problem gambling situation in countries such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, etc. Gambling addiction has increased significantly – approximately 430,000 people in Great Britain are suffering from gambling addiction. Due to the pandemic, this epidemic of gambling addiction is on a steady escalation. 

Responsible Gambling Tools

Responsible Gambling Tools are online restrictive tools that help punters curb their gambling urges. These tools promote the idea of responsible gaming within the community, designed to protect your finances from over expenditure. Some of the responsible gambling tools include –

• Deposit limits – this helps restrict the amount of money you can deposit into your account before you gamble.
• Loss Limits for Casino – restricts you from losing more at a casino than you originally anticipated over a selected period which can be 24 hours, 7 days, or 1 month.
• Reality Check – designed to inform you about the amount of time spent on online casinos.
• Self-exclusion – prevents punters from accessing online casinos for a set amount of time. Self-exclusion guarantees a break from casinos for at least 6 months minimum. However, you may still access non GamStop online casinos from this list – https://casinogap.org/ and NonGamStopBets.

What is GambleAware? 

GambleAware is an independent, grant-making, non-profit organization (NGO). GambleAware provides preventative measures and treatment services for gambling addiction. GambleAware helps people form responsible and informed decisions about their gambling practices. GambleAware is accessible throughout England, Scotland, and Wales in collaboration with expert organizations and agencies, such as the National Health Services (NHS). 

It is well known for conducting public health campaigns on a national scale and providing practical support for dealing with gambling addiction. GambleAware is also known to conduct scientific research to improve knowledge of what works in the prevention of gambling addiction. This non-profit organization also offers counselling services to anyone suffering from compulsive gambling addiction. The GambleAware website provides practical tips on financial management while gambling and a 24/7 online helpline for problem gamblers or anyone affected by gambling. 

The GambleAware Report

GambleAware conducts multiple studies to understand the effects of gambling on the individual, as well as the society. GambleAware also has conducted research on the preventive measures used to help problem gamblers. In one such study, it has been noticed that responsible gambling tools don’t really help problem gamblers.

The GambleAware report was conducted with the assistance of the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT). The research focused on the Responsible Gambling tools and their efficiency in curbing compulsive gambling tendencies. GambleAware, as an NGO, puts all its focus into finding more effective ways of reducing problem gambling on the Internet. However, during the research, it was gathered that Responsible Gambling Tools actually encourage fewer players to set a deposit limit while gambling. The tools statistically have no significant impact on problem gamblers due to the complexity of the whole process. 

An experiment was led with the help of online casinos Bet365 and Sky Bet. Approximately 20,000 customers across the two operators were sent intervention messages during their time on the iGaming site. Only a few gamblers (4.4%) accessed responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits. Due to the added friction of the whole process very few customers are willing to access these tools. According to the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), with the added intervention of the warning messages, a “backfire effect” was caused, decreasing the number of people using deposit limits. 

The research suggests that innovation in the design of these Responsible Gambling tools will lead to more gamblers using them. Cutting down the number of clicks required to access these tools would encourage more gamblers to use them. 

Conclusion

It is very easy to fall into gambling addiction. Charities and NGOs such as GambleAware are trying to spread more awareness regarding online gaming and gambling addiction. Studies such as the GambleAware report in collaboration with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), make us aware of the grey areas of responsible gaming tools. However, with conscious effort and development in the designs of these tools, reducing gambling addiction would no longer be unattainable.