Why 2019 Will Be the Year of Responsible Gambling

Posted by Harry Kane on Sunday, January 20, 2019

In many ways, the charitable organisation GambleAware has been the pre-eminent driving force behind responsible gambling in the UK. Increasingly empowered by the tightening regulatory framework provided by the UKGC, it has certainly played a pivotal role in stabilising the number of problem gamblers in the current marketplace.

This organisation is also launching a new study focused on the utilisation of behavioural science methodology, with a view to reducing problem gambling further online over the coming months.

It appears as though several of the UK’s leading operators are now looking to follow this lead, by ushering in 2019 with a new set of responsible gaming strategies and a core focus on the needs of problem gamblers. We’ll explore this further in the article below, while asking why the next 12 months are likely to be seminal for the future of responsible gambling in the UK.

How GVC Holdings Are Set to Drive Responsible Gaming in the UK

The Ladbrokes Coral owner GVC Holdings has certainly made strides in respect to responsible gaming, with the operator expected to announce a new set of responsible gaming strategies in the New Year.

These strategies have been conceived in conjunction with EPIC Risk Management, who recently partnered with GVC to help them realise their core strategic objectives.

Making the announcement on December 19th, GVC confirmed that it had entered into a multi-year agreement with EPIC, with a view to training its employees in three key areas. The first of these is the way in which representatives interact with individuals who have shown signs of problem gambling, and the strategic advice that should be offered to such players.

The partnership will also see workshops hosted in high-risk populations, in conjunction with local charities and organisations.

Finally, the partnership will deliver face-to-face gambling awareness programmes to 12,000 children across around 100 UK state schools, as the operators looks to highlight the perils of online gaming to youngsters.

This is an increasingly pressing concern, especially with the number of children classed as having a gambling problem having quadrupled to more than 50,000 in the last two years.

The Role of EPIC and the Focus on Underage Gambling

The latter point is important, particularly with EPIC focused strongly on the protection of underage gamblers in the UK.

In fact, it’s an organisation that remains committed to reducing gambling related harm and providing viable education programs in all high-risk demographics, including those aged under 16 and military veterans.

According to the group’s latest figures, an estimated 500,000 children gamble casually every single week, while military vets are a staggering eight-times more likely to wager their cash than the general population.

The group also targets high-risk sectors and industries, with individuals who work in the financial services market and professional sportspeople accounting for more than 20% of its referrals.

With its wide ranging expertise and obvious wealth of knowledge, EPIC is fast becoming a key player in helping sports betting brands and operators to meet an increasingly demanding set of regulatory standards.

The partnership with GVC was particularly relevant too, with the operator having been hit with a £350,000 fine back in February and prior to its £4 billion takeover of Ladbrokes Coral. The fine was issued for the crime of repeatedly misleading gamblers with adverts relating to free bonuses, which breached the UKGC’s code of conduct and promotional guidelines.

While this was a relatively small fine in relation to some of the recent sanctions implemented by the UKGC, it highlighted significant failings in the operator’s methodology and its daily interactions with customers.

So, rather than wait to endure further compliance issues, GVC have taken the bold and proactive move of engaging with EPIC and drafting new responsible gaming strategies for a constantly evolving markets.

What Does the Future Hold for Responsible Gambling and the Market Leading Operators in the UK?

In truth, responsible gambling has been a hot topic in the UK since 2017, when the UKGC made the safeguarding of vulnerable gamers a core strategic objective through 2021.

The partnership between GVC and EPIC Risk Management represents a potentially seminal breakthrough in the British marketplace, however, and one that will surely blaze a trail for other operators to follow during the next 12 months.

Beyond this, we’ll also see a number of technological initiatives help vulnerable gamblers to safeguard themselves when it comes to managing money and individual withdrawals.

One of these involves a ground-breaking innovation from Barclays Bank, which is currently partnering with various operators to empower customers and enable them to block certain payments after they’ve been made. Of course, this measure can also be applied outside of the iGaming marketplace, but there’s no doubt that one of its main applications will be live and online gambling.

This will certainly enable customers to cancel individual payments and deposits made to their accounts, creating a safer and more responsible environment in which players can take greater control over their finances.

This highlights precisely how influential technology will be in the further rise of responsible gambling in the UK, with Australia’s Tabcorp Holdings having also revealed details of another ground-breaking software initiative.

Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), this software will actively monitor the wagering habits of gamers in real-time, while using advanced machine learning to identify and pre-empt patterns of problem gambling accurately.

The close ties between the Australian and UK gambling markets will mean that this technology will establish a new standard for operators like GVC going forward, while there’s no doubt that software innovation will ultimately shape future of responsible gambling in the years ahead.

From an operator perspective, this undoubtedly creates a significant opportunity for brands who want to establish themselves as ambassadors for responsible gaming in the UK. It’s also clear that GVC have blazed a significant trail for others to follow in this regard, as they look to secure a competitive advantage over their rivals and create a safe gambling environment for their customers.