SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Commissioned by industry charity GambleAware, a study of industry ‘self-exclusion’ practices carried out by Chrysalis Research has found that consumer protection schemes are proving to be effective at stop problem gambling.
The evaluation of ‘Multi Operator Self Exclusion Scheme’ (“MOSES”) for UK licensed betting shops has detailed that 83% of users researched found industry practices effective in reducing or stopping their gambling activity.
Industry-independent watchdog, The Senet Group invited GambleAware to commission an independent evaluation of MOSES.
The aim of the research was to assess the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting customers who wish to stop or reduce their gambling, as well as establish opportunities for improvement.
The evaluation, conducted by Chrysalis Research, found:
- 54% of respondents who had excluded themselves from Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs) had also excluded themselves from online betting sites. · 71% of participants had not attempted to use any of their nominated betting offices since joining the scheme.
- 86% of respondents understood it was their responsibility to stay away from the betting shops once they’d opted into the scheme
- 21% of respondents did not think it was the responsibility of the betting shop staff to keep them out.
- 17% thought they had the right to change their minds about using the in-shop betting terminals when signed up to the scheme. The report also highlighted most staff felt suitably equipped to explain the registration process and details of the scheme to customers – with almost half of people surveyed admitting they heard about it in betting shops. Yet, some staff thought they needed more guidance and expressed a concern that staffing levels would need to be maintained as more people sign up.
Marc Etches, Chief Executive of GambleAware said: “Self-exclusion is an important tool for people who struggle to control their gambling. This report makes it clear self-exclusion is more effective when it is combined with professional treatment, which we offer nationally, for free, through the BeGambleAware.org website, or the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133). Looking forward, we wish to work with all those who operate self-exclusion schemes to close the gap between them and treatment services.”
Wanda Goldwag, Chair of The Senet Group said: “We are determined to make self-exclusion as simple and effective as possible. The report shows there is significant customer overlap between the current self-exclusion schemes on offer. Establishing a fully integrated system would enable customers to exclude from any form of gambling with a single click or call. This should surely be our long term goal. The same companies who fund MOSES are amongst those investing in an equivalent scheme for online gambling. It must make sense to look at how far we can go in delivering these schemes in as joined up a way as possible.”
Louise Duffy, Director of Chrysalis Research said: “We concluded that the MOSES scheme offers customers a straightforward registration process, and note nearly two-thirds of its users were told about the scheme in a betting shop. Ensuring staff have clear sight of betting machines and self-service terminals would help to them to spot many of the 5% who managed to breach the exclusion. Customers with a stronger addiction can be identified when registering and pointing them towards treatment services may help them address their problem more effectively.”
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Marc Etches, Chief Executive of GambleAware will be speaking at the Betting on Football Conference (London Stamford Bridge 3-5 May) on industry self-regulation and consumer best practices. To find out more about the Betting on Football conference please click on the banner below
