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Technology, Responsible Gaming’s Front Line Technology has put a casino in every pocket. Can it now help improve safeguards for problem gamblers? By Marjorie Preston
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ost people who gamble do it for fun. Sure, they’d like to bag a big jackpot. But win, lose or draw, they can play and walk away. For others, gambling can turn into a compulsion with potentially grave consequences for their relationships, jobs and finances. Operators are on order from regulators, lawmakers and health professionals to identify and flag people with signs of a problem. Tools like self-exclusion programs, self-imposed play limits and pop-up RG messages help some people monitor and curb their behavior before they get in too deep. And advances in technology are making it easier to pinpoint these disorders. But identifying a problem and solving it are two different things. How are these technologies working? Are there any missing pieces?
Universal Self-Exclusion A new self-exclusion program, PlayPause from Conscious Gaming, would create a cross-jurisdictional database to keep gamblers who can’t play in one place from jumping to another. Conscious Gaming is an independent nonprofit arm of geolocation leader GeoComply. “We were established during Responsible Gambling Week not even a year ago, and have been building out the technology ever since,” says Seth Palansky, vice president of corporate social responsibility and communications. PlayPause is already in Pennsylvania, with at least one more jurisdiction ready to join. The technology encrypts data, creating a “unique hash” of each individual player. “Instead of Excel files with personally identifiable information, it’s a digital token that gives everyone a unique identifier,” says Palansky. PlayPause is also a “sports integrity tool” that can block athletes, coaches, referees and other insiders from wagering on games. Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, agrees with the kind of “seamless safety net” that PlayPause could erect. The current framework is “very Balkanized,” he says, “with a bewildering variety of different limits, settings and programs” that may confuse players. “Our model for the last 30 years has been for states and vendors to voluntarily harmonize.” The big challenge? “Weaving a national system together,” says Palansky. “Everyone has to be willing to share information.” 100 Global Gaming Business OCTOBER 2021
And that may be a tough sell. Operators who invest heavily in customer acquisition and retention may be loath to surrender those lists, and varying state regulations and privacy laws also may be impediments.
Big Brother is Watching When it comes to RG messaging and session limits, the bigger roadblock may be players who reject what they perceive as “nanny state” intervention. “They want the least amount of what’s been referred to as ‘responsible gaming speed bumps,’ like, ‘Before you play this game, you must set limits,’” says Connie Jones, director of responsible gaming for the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers. In Canada, for instance, VLTs in pubs and clubs can only be played two hours before players have to cash out, and RG reminders pop up throughout the session. “Some experts believe this could actually cause a player to chase their losses if, for example, they’re down $400 and only have a couple minutes left before they’re forced to cash out,” says Jones. “Some gamblers may become totally irritated: ‘I’m not chasing, I’m just down and need to recoup my losses.’” In Europe and the U.K., player protections increased during the pandemic, particularly for iGaming; the U.K. Gambling Commission has announced even stricter features for online slots coming this month. “Common features will be permanently banned including auto-play, which led to players losing track of time, and spin speeds under 2.5 seconds,” says Jones. Also out: “sounds or visuals falsely suggesting a win.” Makes sense, but “precommitment features” like time limits, while often mandatory for tech providers to install, are voluntary for players to use, “and research indicates that player uptake is only around 2 percent. That’s also the case in Australia. Players aren’t utilizing the technology that’s available to protect them.” People with a gambling problem may be most resistant to behavior tracking and analysis, and could migrate to unregulated sites to avoid it. So while all these measures check the compliance box, they may fall short of their stated goal to help vulnerable players.
The PR Problem “Online Gambling: I Stole £70 to Feed My Addiction.” “Father of Two Took Own Life After Developing Gambling Addiction.” “U.K. Betting Industry
