The worldwide gaming industry puts a lot of faith in resources, such as self-exclusion lists, that prevent and mitigate the damage caused by problem gambling. But while gaming operators tout these products as genuine solutions, is that the way the players meant to use them actually feel? That may not be the case, according to some recent research by the UK’s Gambling Commission.
According to the research, a large number of UK gamblers have a fundamental mistrust of gambling support tools offered up by the sportsbooks and online casinos where they spend their money. A large number of players had difficulty believing that the same companies showering them with an endless stream of bonus offers and special deals, would also have a genuine interest in seeing them gamble less. One 55-year-old participant summed up the issue saying, “I don’t trust a lot of these so-called tools. I think indirectly they probably know that the actual participant will carry on doing it or even put some more funds into the gambling.”
One unique aspect of the study is that it included a group known as the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). This panel is drawn from players with real life gambling experience at the very place the Gambling Commission regulates.
The report wasn’t all cynicism regarding the gaming industry’s true interest in the well-being of their players. Plenty of participants reported genuinely positive experiences gambling. One female participant in the over 55 category shared a heartwarming story of family bonding saying, “We’ll make a whole night of it, [going to the bingo club] and just lately the last few times my granddaughter who is now 19 she’s been coming with us as well. Making it an enjoyable outing really.”
LEAP has been such as successful addition to Gambling Commission studies that the group plans to make it a regular aspect of its research.