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The Secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport, DCMS, recently delivered a whitepaper to Parliament, highlighting the outdated and ill-equipped standards to protect vulnerable players, and the failure to adapt them to the digitalised age. It seems that there is a disconnect between technological advances in gambling and those intended to protect players.
According to the document, an estimated 3,000,000 British citizens struggle with “problem gaming” – which is defined as “a level of gambling that compromises, disrupts, or damages family life, personal pursuits, or recreational activities”. Problematic gambling can ruin lives. Given the economic crisis and its impact on so many people, it’s imperative that the gambling industry be supported in adopting the new gambling protocols as outlined by the whitepaper.
The demand for gambling in land-based establishments such as racetracks, casinos and betting shops is not going away despite the advancements of technology. They offer a more authentic and real experience. This vivacious environment cannot be replicated online, which indicates that land-based gaming sites will remain popular with players.
The white paper recognizes that they are outdated and aims to align them with the reformations proposed for online gambling. They aim to improve the monitoring of land-based gaming, just as controls can be put in place online to protect players.
Discover what the white paper says about implementing Player Protection Protocols in businesses and imposing responsible restrictions on customers.
Player Protect
The gambling operators must identify customers who may be susceptible to harm and act accordingly. The operators do not have the tools or the assistance to perform checks on everyone who enters their premises. The technology can help operators to perform this difficult but essential task of protecting their players.
Three core tasks can be assisted by biometric technology
2) Age estimation to prevent underage gaming
2) Tracking of players to limit excessive spending or daily expenditure
3) Identifying Players Who Have Self-Excluded Theirself
Underage gambling
In the UK, gambling is illegal for anyone under the age of 18. The government wants to make it even more so by passing legislation that ensures consistency. The gambling industry is required to implement strict procedures to prevent underage gaming.
Serve Legal released recent figures that show a huge increase in the number bookies who prevent young people from entering. Over the past ten years, betting shops have conducted more spot checks of underage players. This is a promising stat, and concrete proof that the new infrastructure set up to protect players works.
There are too many cases of inadequate age verification, especially in pubs, that can offer only adult gaming machines, but they are not adult-only establishments like many gambling venues.
ICU Pro will alert the operator if a person under the age of 18 enters the building. This can help to reduce the number of people entering. MyCheckrs can be used at the counter by the operator to help estimate the age of a customer. This will also reduce the risk of abuse when asking for identification. MyCheckr also has a feature that allows for targeted and analytical advertisements. This can be used to both increase the return on investment as well as extract demographics from the customer base.
The age check can also be automated using biometric technology. ICU Lite is a compact device for age estimation that can be integrated seamlessly into existing machines and software to help businesses adhere to age restrictions. It can be prevented by more rigorous and consistent checks that prevent vulnerable people who are underage accessing the machines.
This new technology allows the operator to prevent underage gambling at 3 different touchpoints: 1) the entrance of the premises, 2) the counter and 3) the gaming machine.
Player tracking
The Gambling Commission, established under the Gambling Act of 2005, was created to regulate the gambling industry and promote responsible gambling for both individuals and companies involved in gambling. The Department of Culture and Sport, in conjunction with the Gambling Commission, developed a two-form preventative financial check procedure during their review.
Background checks will first be conducted for spending at moderate levels, in order to identify indicators of financial vulnerability, such as County Court Judgements. These background checks should take place when a net loss of PS125 is recorded within a period of a month, or a PS500 loss within one year. The second check will be for spending levels that are indicative of harmful gambling or irrecoverable losses due to gambling. This is proposed as a threshold of PS1000 in 24 hours, or PS2000 in 90 days.
This vital task can be made easier by biometric technology. Every machine can have an ICU Lite. The age of the player is checked when they first access the machine. FaceID can be created if the player is older than 18. FaceIDs can be anonymously associated with a session and then shared across all machines. This FaceID can be used to link information such as daily spending and losses, and alert the operator if any intervention is needed.
FaceID can also be used for defining restrictions. The restrictions can then be uploaded into the operator’s database. FaceID ensures that players adhere to the rules they set for each session. FaceID data can be deleted automatically after 24 hours, so no permanent data is stored on the device.
Self-Exclusion
The Betting and Gaming Council has made it clear that anyone who is concerned about their gambling habit can exclude themselves from gambling establishments on premises. Self-exclusion can help people with gambling addictions gain more control over their life and develop a better relationship with gambling.
FaceID is stored in the device if a player self-excludes. The device will alert the operator if the player tries to play again. It will detect that the person has self-excluded and match the information. This intervention may occur at different touchpoints such as the entrance to the premises or the counter.
Strengthening the Gambling Commission
The whitepaper also discusses the resources and powers given to the Gambling Commission. The white paper acknowledges that there is much work that needs to be done by the Commission in an industry that is constantly evolving and has been subjected to outdated regulations for a long time.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport envisions an industry in which the Commission will have greater regulatory powers and that operators will cooperate with the Commission to share data and help identify noncompliance of licence conditions.
The Commission recently handed down its largest ever fine. The UK’s record fine for an online gambling company is PS19.2m, which was imposed on a British company that had failed to adhere to social responsibility standards and had not taken steps against money laundering. In 2018, the organisation was fined PS6.2m for the same reason, showing a pattern of negligence.
It is important to protect vulnerable players, but it can be a complex job. Operators require the right tools and support to continue and improve player protection, as technology advances. The biometric technology is a crucial component in the implementation of these reforms aimed at improving player protection.
Gambling’s future is certainly one of positive change. These restrictions are not meant to limit the enjoyment of gambling but rather to protect those who are most susceptible to addiction. According to MP Lucy Frazer who wrote the ministerial preface of the whitepaper, “prevention is always better than cure”. We are therefore determined to improve consumer protection and stop exploitative practices.
