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According to one of the most prominent gambling addiction experts in the world, the financial risk checks that are proposed in the White Paper for gambling reform and being considered by the Gambling Commission now are not the best method to prevent problem gambling.
In an exclusive interview given to the sports betting community OLBG by Professor Mark Griffiths, he said: “In theory, affordability checks are a great idea, but financial limitations that apply to all may not be.”
Griffiths is a Chartered Psychologist, Distinguished Professor of Behavior Addiction and Director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University. He has been a consultant to many gambling companies, focusing on responsible gambling, player safety and harm minimisation.
Last week, the Gambling Commission opened a public consultation to discuss proposals that would require operators to conduct financial risk assessments on customers who have net losses of PS125 per month or PS500 annually. The Gambling Commission has also suggested that customers who have net losses of more than PS 1,000 in 24 hours, or PS 2,000 in 90-days should be subjected to enhanced checks.
Griffiths stated that the Gambling Commission often talks about how much money people spend, but it’s better to discuss how much someone can afford to wager as opposed to how they actually spend.
He said: “The finer we get with affordability checks, the more people will be reluctant to share such information. For example, if companies are told by the Gambling Commission that they must dig into personal finances of individuals, it’s likely to reach a point when most people don’t want to reveal this kind of data.
They will then bet with companies that are less reputable, and are located overseas with no or little responsibility measures. This would only displace the issue.”
Griffiths has received 24 awards at national and international levels for his research. He believes it would be best if players were required to set time limits and money limitations when they first sign up for an online operator.
He said that if gamblers decide to set their limits based on how much they can afford it does not matter if the activity is problematic, because they will no longer be able to gamble once they reach their limit.
He said that an extensive study that he conducted in Norway indicated that mandatory breaks for play could be useful, given the massive increase in gambling opportunities in recent years.
Griffiths has also noted that there is little evidence to support the idea that problem gambling is on the rise.
The Gambling Commission statistics for participation and problem gaming up to March 2023 show that the rate of problem gambling has remained relatively stable over the past 20 years at 0.5%. The latest figure is 0.3%. “The vast majority of people who gamble have no problems at all.”
The interview also covers Griffiths’ opinions on The Guardian’s ban on advertising, the rise of live betting, advertising restrictions, and the definition of and characteristics of addiction.
