How effective are responsible gambling features? CasinoTopsOnline has crunched the numbers

At CasinoTopsOnline, we’ve sifted through numerous studies, data, and industry reports to uncover just how well these features perform in practice. For instance, recent data reveals that responsible gambling tools have led to measurable behavioural improvements, such as a 41% risk reduction among flagged players and a UK problem gambling rate now at just 0.2%.

But is this the whole story? We dig deeper and also discuss the emergence of new technologies and what the future holds.

Svenska Spel 2015 study

A study published in 2015, based on people who gambled online with Swedish regulator Svenska Spel, showed that those who had received behavioural feedback on their gambling habits saw a significant reduction in their deposit amounts compared to those who didn’t receive any feedback. 

However, the study interestingly demonstrated that players who had previously shown signs of problematic play and also signs of risky play did not significantly reduce their deposits, despite receiving feedback on their gambling habits. 

As a result of the 2015 study, it was clear that there was a need for more effective responsible gambling tools to come into place to better protect those considered to be problem gamblers and who exhibited signs of risky play. 

Kindred’s Journey Towards Zero

Since February 2021, Kindred has started sharing its reports on revenue from harmful gambling and the impact of its interventions. Of course, Kindred is a parent company of many well-known gambling operators, including Unibet and 32Red. Disclosure of its reports was to open up a dialogue about responsible gambling. Their Journey Towards Zero aims to reach 0% of revenue from high-risk gambling. 

Kindred’s studies have shown that revenues from high-risk players have decreased, as indicated by their gross winnings revenue for the final quarter of 2024. In Q4 2023, the share of gross winnings revenue from high-risk players was 3.1%. This fell to 2.7% by the end of Q4 2024. 

Kindred also reported that the percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions increased to 92.2% in Q4 2024 from 87.3% in Q3 2024. 

These improvements can be attributed to stricter responsible gambling measures and better internal processes. Esther Scheepers, Responsible Gaming PS-EDS Manager at Kindred, has stated that: 

“The increased focus on responsible gambling by regulators and the industry is welcomed. From our end, we see that by combining our expertise with emerging technologies, we can further enhance detection capabilities. 

We are currently working on our existing detection system in combination with an additional system that will enable us to integrate more robust compliance features and optimise our overall approach to safer gambling. 

Furthermore, we are exploring opportunities to expand our research efforts, aiming to support data-driven discussions and looking at emerging trends in consumer protection. All these aspects are important to protect the integrity of the licence model and maintain a level playing field.”

Impact of Entain & ARC

Entain’s ARC platform stands for Advanced Responsibility & Care. This is to protect customers against problem gambling by using AI to identify risks in player behaviour early, allowing them to intervene before greater issues with problem gambling become apparent. 

According to the report by Entain, here are some of the key ways in which ARC has changed safer gambling: 

• Individualised protections

• Predictive

• Real-time intervention

• Compulsory safer gambling tools

The positive impact of ARC has been clear. 90% of high-risk players are now setting gambling controls, while 48% of medium-risk customers have also been setting gambling controls. 

Interventions have also proven to be successful, based on Entain’s ARC platform. 41% of medium and high-risk players moved to low or no risk after interventions. 80% of customers are also following the gambling controls recommended by ARC. 

Emerging technologies

Other advanced technologies can also be used to improve responsible gambling tools.

For instance, Blockchain is constantly being looked at as a way to bring greater transparency and accountability to online gambling. With its tamper-proof ledger, blockchain can support responsible gambling by ensuring player data and limits are tamper-proof, while also providing regulators with better audit trails.

Moreover, Virtual Reality (VR) is also emerging as a potential tool in responsible gambling efforts. By creating simulated environments, VR could help operators observe player behaviour in a more immersive setting, and even be used to deliver educational experiences or controlled risk simulations.

How successful are responsible gambling tools?

According to the Gambling Commission, the rate of problem gambling is at a record low of 0.2%. However, responsible gambling tools can still improve, and not all measures are foolproof. 

For example, some players continue to ignore these tools set by operators, such as bypassing deposit limits and ignoring reality checks and alerts. Some players can also circumvent self-exclusion by joining sites that have not signed up for GamStop. UKGC-licensed casinos must be a part of the self-exclusion scheme. 

As per The Baltic Times, only 12% of self-excluded players were able to completely avoid gambling for a full year. However, it must be noted that the data on responsible gambling tools is far from bulletproof. Due to the constant threat of self-reporting and bias, along with inconsistent data collection across operators and other factors, the effectiveness of responsible gambling tools may seem higher on paper than in reality.

Future trends

Despite responsible gambling tools proving to have made drastic improvements in regards to protecting players, further improvements can still be made. 

With the ever-increasing usage of cryptocurrencies, it can help improve the fairness of games and ensure that payouts are faster and more accurate for players. 

As AI and machine learning technologies improve, they will be able to identify high-risk players earlier and make more personalised suggestions. 

Since some players are ignoring responsible gambling tools, it may become mandatory in the future for players to use tools like deposit limits.