BETTER CHANGE This stage is where we have a real chance to intervene and
make a difference to someone’s life. From a commercial point of view, it seems to make sense to concentrate on these players as there’s a very real chance that their unhealthy habits can be addressed turning them into sustainable players with a healthy and predictable lifetime value opposed to allowing them to deteriorate and potentially require termination. This is certainly an underserved area of player protection and
therefore has become one of the key focuses for Better Change as we progress through 2023. We are highly aware that there is already a huge financial obligation on operators as they strive to achieve the requirements set out by the UKGC and other applicable regulatory bodies to support the RET scheme as well as prove their commitment to going above and beyond in an effort to achieve things such as the GamCare Safer Gambling Standard, Advanced Level 3 accreditation. It’s also hard for organisations such as Better Change to be innovative and forward thinking as the support from the industry and regulators is extremely limited. Despite this, the Better Change clinical team have spent the past year carefully crafting their four customer interaction programmes which efficiently provide operators with robust interaction options for players at each level of gambling harm. What’s even better is that several operators have been able to finance them from revenue such as SENSE or dormant account funds, meaning they not only don’t have to find additional budget, but they get something tangible in return for their investment. When it comes to promoting positive play, prevention is
certainly better than cure. Our first programme offers regular webinars aimed at anyone who ever gambles and are designed to educate and promote healthy gambling habits. Delivered by two fully qualified and registered gambling therapists, each webinar has been designed for an operator’s entire user base to attend. Recommended to be held monthly for large operators and quarterly for smaller ones; a different topic is explored in each session such as support for affected others, self-care strategies and effective budgeting. The friendly sessions last between 60-90 minutes each depending on the level of group interaction and offer vital social interaction for many participants as well as safer gambling awareness. Players returning from a period of self-exclusion are a particular
concern to all of us at Better Change. If someone is suffering enough gambling harm to feel they would benefit from a significant cooling off period, it is vital that an interaction takes place to ensure they use the time away from gambling to reflect on their situation and implement strategies to prevent any further harm.
Without this intervention, we know that many are quite
literally ticking off the days until they can return to gambling. When they do return, often they go all in straight away, lose and the vicious circle repeats itself. In an ideal world, we would encourage operators to refer self-excluding players to a registered therapist for an assessment so they can help the player to get the most out of their cooling off period. This way, there is a chance of converting the player’s behaviour and for them to be able to return to gambling as a sustainable and regular player, free from gambling harm. Once a player has completed their cooling off period and
requests access to their account once more, it is essential that operators do more to ensure the player is aware of the risks they are taking by returning. Asking them to come back in 24 hours is not stringent enough to assess the level of gambling harm the player is currently experiencing. Our ‘Return to Gambling’ Interaction offers a measurable, robust, and respectful way for operators to ensure that a player is fit to play and does not pose a regulatory risk to their business. Each session lasts approximately 50 minutes during which
time a therapist will explore: ● How to return to gambling in a safe and controlled way ● Identify the tools available to help with safer gambling ● Identify warning signs for any further problematic gambling ● Provide signposting information should any future harm arise Not only do these interactions ensure optimum support for
the player, but they also provide the operator with a tangible way to demonstrate their commitment to player protection to the Regulators. Another area of concern for Better Change is the number of
times that a customer interaction is delivered by unqualified and relatively junior staff. Arguably, this is one of the most crucial points in a player’s relationship with an operator and if it’s not handled correctly, the relationship can break down irretrievably. We’ve had first-hand accounts of players being approached by
betting shop staff asking them if they’d like to self-exclude simply because they’d reached a certain threshold. The staff knew this person well and that their income could sustain the level of play. They also commented that the person’s behaviour was consistent regardless of a win or a loss but still felt the need to suggest they might want to self-exclude. The player was mortified to be asked and didn’t feel comfortable returning to that establishment again. All this interaction resulted in was lost revenue for the player’s initial operator of choice as they simply took their business elsewhere. Had a well trained, qualified person been tasked with making the interaction instead of it being added to the list of tasks for unqualified shop staff, that customer would have had a very different experience and the operator would have benefitted from their revenue for many years to come.
38 FEBRUARY 2023
Photo Credit: Vladislav Klapin
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