BETTER CHANGE STATESIDE
2. Customer Interactions Communication with customers is something that we are sure will take another leap forward and we’ll be surprised if it’s not featured in the white paper. Advancements in technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) from specialist companies such as Mindway AI means that operators will have no excuse not to treat each customer as an individual and most importantly, identify people early who might be vulnerable before major harm is suffered. Prevention is always better than cure and so our
interaction services at Better Change have been specifically designed to help operators spot potential gambling harm early when there’s a chance to intervene and bring that player back with a healthier relationship with gambling. Ultimately, it’s a win-win if the operator can predict future revenue from a stable customer with a steady, predictable and sustainable lifetime value which limits the chance of gambling harm for the player. Customers returning from cooling off periods such as
Time Outs and Self Exclusions have previously been neglected and it’s an area which we’re confident will get a lot more attention in 2023. If someone has suffered enough gambling harm to feel they would benefit from blocking their account for up to five years, surely it’s irresponsible to simply reinstate their access to gambling without first checking that it’s safe for them to do so. Of course, there are many players who repeatedly self-exclude to ensure gambling doesn’t become a distraction. For example, one premiership footballer recently shared with us that he self excludes at the start of each season so that he’s not even tempted to gamble and there is never any risk of his account being used by someone else causing anyone to question his commitment to FIFA’s no betting rules for professionals footballers. It’s commendable that people are using these tools in this way and it’s perfectly acceptable to reinstate their accounts and allow them to continue enjoying their hobby. That won’t be the case for everyone and so isn’t it best to just check? Education and reality checks can be individually directed
to these people through things like the Better Change e-learning platform and our ‘Return to Gambling’ interaction with a registered and qualified gambling therapist (styled to the player as a Safer Gambling Ambassador.) By combining the early identification technology from Mindway AI and the E-Learning platform from Better Change, operators theoretically should have no surprises when it comes to the gambling health of their customers. Clearly, these interactions need to be more in-depth
than ever before, however the expertise, technology and support are already available for operators making this simple for them to do. It’s just a question of will the investments be made and will actions reflect the rhetoric.
3. Reciprocal learning between land based and digital gambling After the last two decades of the incredible boom in online gambling, 2023 could be the year that land-based gambling redresses the safer gambling balance with the opportunity for reciprocal learning between both land- based and online operators, a lot of which occupy both spaces now anyway.
JANUARY 2023 35
Looking after people who either favour land-based, or are
returning to land-based, is something the industry will need to look at carefully. So many tools and techniques are used by remote
operators to ensure they keep their players safe. Deposit limits, reality checks, panic buttons, affordability checks and customer interactions should anything flag, are staple parts of the player experience in 2023. The same isn’t true for the land-based venues where interactions can be invasive and clunky as well as often sporadic and unreliable. Gamblewise, an innovative player protection system from
Better Change, was designed specifically to bring some of the successful online safer gambling tools to the land-based market. By allowing users to download a free app within which they set similar limits to the ones they are used to using online, it uses positive reinforcement to give players reality checks and support when they need it the most with minimal (if any) live interaction from the venue staff. Whilst land-based venues can undoubtably learn from the
remote operators, the same is true of the reverse. We saw the maximum stake on a FOBT reduced to just £2 as part of the Triennial review and so it’s hard to imagine something similar won’t be imposed online from the White Paper. It’s unlikely to be as low as £2 per spin but a £25 or £50 limit doesn’t seem impossible to image. As the line between land-based and remote operators
blurs further, both sides of the industry can and will undoubtedly learn from each other as they become more closely linked once more.
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