How do gambling companies respond to negative media coverage, such as the Wall Street Journal article about a psychiatrist who struggled to quit gambling?
Tere is such unbelievable ignorance of this topic in mainstream media coverage. It is also noticeably poor even amongst public health reporters, which is frustrating. But the issue the problem gambling community really struggles with is inherent disbelief in the phenomenon itself. It’s one thing to talk about industry misconception, let’s talk for a second about the misconception of the condition. First, it’s not a behavioural problem. Telling an addicted gambler to "just stop gambling" will have no impact. At this end of the spectrum the brain has literally been re-wired. It’s like looking up at the sky and all you see is green.
Mainstream media often lacks a real understanding of gambling addiction. Te Wall Street Journal headline - “A Psychiatrist Tried to Quit Gambling. Betting Apps Kept Her Hooked” - misses the point. It wasn’t the app that caused the problem. Te app was a vehicle. Te real issue is the person’s relationship with gambling, which was rooted in a deeply changed brain function. If it wasn't the app, it might’ve been an office pool, a poker night, or offshore sites. And it’s still astounding that governments haven’t figured out how to stop illegal sites. But that’s another issue.
We must do a better job of explaining to the mainstream media what this is. Right now, if you asked an operator, a regulator, legislator and a journalist - you’d get four different answers. And as someone on the academic side working with the treatment community, I can say that all four of those answers are likely to be wrong or at the very least, misinformed about what problem gambling is.
Problem gambling is not behavioural issue - it’s a substance- use disorder. Te way the brain perceives gambling in some people is the exact same way an alcoholic perceives alcohol, or a drug addict perceives drugs. Te difference is that with gambling, people often believe: “If I just play one more time, I’ll win.” You don’t hear that from someone with alcohol or drug addiction. Shame is also an enormous factor, with suicide and attempted suicide higher among gambling addicts than drug or alcohol addicts. And gambling addiction is invisible - you can’t see it the way you might recognise alcohol or drug abuse.
For the media, headlines can be “too delicious” for a journalist to pass up, and so we need to better educate and communicate the issues, but the reality is that operators can also respond better. For example, when a customer says to their host, “I’ve
IAGA Summit Berlin: June 10-12, 2025
had a rough run, I need to take a break,” the response should be: “Absolutely. Do you want to be taken off the mailing list? Should we pause outreach for six months?” Support that decision and give them the space they need.
Is there a risk of overregulation leading to a shift toward unlicensed markets?
Overregulation becomes a problem when it's driven by unrealistic goals. Governments licence and regulate gambling because they want the tax revenue. But if you try to regulate in ways that tie up 90+% of the public - people who gamble responsibly - you’re likely to push them to the unregulated market. Australia is a good example. When policy is led by politicians chasing headlines, it often goes off the rails. Regulators then try to respond to political demands, and you end up with rules that don’t work. Balance is essential. Regulations should support safe play without damaging the overall experience for the majority.
Are operators working with regulators to create consistent and effective RG policies across markets?
Not to the degree they could be. And one of the reasons is that it’s hard. Tese issues don’t lend themselves to simple soundbites. Many quick fixes end up being counterproductive. Take slowing down slot reels - it sounds good in theory, but players with the most serious issues just bet more per spin. Or timed play breaks - again, the unintended consequence is that you're not only doing this to the players that need the help the most - who are now doubling and tripling their bets - you’re also doing the same for folks without problems who see their time as limited, so they also start betting more.
Te solution isn’t just between operators and regulators. You need a bigger table - treatment providers, academics, people with lived experience, and everyday gamblers too - they all need a seat at the discussion. Right now, in Australia, academic researchers are discouraged from working with the industry. Tey're criticised for accepting research funding or even for participating in dialogue. As a result, researchers don’t get access to player data - and how do you conduct meaningful studies without data? Trying to simulate gambling behaviour in a lab using students with free credits? Tat’s not going to reflect reality. Te only way to progress is through cooperation. And in countries where that’s politically unpalatable, they’re going to fall behind.
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