UK Gambling Commission to Roll Out a ‘Single Customer View’ Program

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is reining its efforts in putting more pressure on the local gambling industry to ensure responsible gambling for local bettors. On October 18, at the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) forum, the UKGC CEO Andrew Rhodes noted that the commission will soon begin the trial phase of a ‘single customer view.’

The single customer view will enable local operators to access bettors’ data to implement more efficient, responsible gambling measures. The said player activity includes a bettor’s session duration and betting spends across all gambling platforms. Through such an approach, the UK gaming watchdog hopes that operators will more proficiently track clients who show signs of problem gambling.

In his speech during the IAGR conference, Rhodes highlighted the importance of a single customer view.

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“A problem we will all face is that a very responsible operator may exclude someone from gambling or force a pause in their gambling as they are showing signs of harm. However, this may simply result in a person who may be in distress simply moving to another operator, and then another, and another. The single customer view will allow operators to be alerted to customers who have been excluded by another operator due to concerns about their level of gambling, thus breaking this circuit.”

More Focus on the Most Vulnerable Players

In May, the Betting and gaming Council (BGC) announced they would work with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the UKGC to discuss the single customer view program. The ICO will be responsible for providing information on the legality of data sharing for data protection purposes to ensure ethical tracking of bettors’ activities on gambling platforms.

Currently, if a bettor is suspended from one betting platform over a spending issue, they can quickly move to a different platform and start betting. According to UKGC, the single customer view will help detect and curb problem gambling in time instead of letting the issue affect the customer and lead to more severe problems. Additionally, the program will enable operators to identify bettors who move from one platform to another to avoid restrictions.

A report presented by UKGC earlier in the year showed that problem gambling rates in the UK are about 0.2%. This was a 50% drop from 2021 without the watchdog implementing more regulations on the gambling industry. On the other hand, based on a different study by Public Health England (PHE), the problem gambling rates stand at 0.5%.

Despite the reports showing problem gambling in the UK is almost non-existent, it is still a much-debated topic. However, based on how some analysts see it, if the watchdog continues implementing stricter policies, it might end up killing the legal gambling market rather than enhancing it.

UKGC Calls for Collaboration Between Gambling Regulators

Based on the UKGC observations, which extend beyond Britain, Rhodes insists there is a need for cross-border collaboration between betting regulators. This is because the gambling industry is becoming a global tech industry where emerging technologies such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs pose challenges to regulators.

Touching on the rapidly evolving gambling landscape, Rhodes said:

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“We see greater collaboration amongst all of us, gambling regulators across the world, as the essential next step in tackling the challenges that the morphing of the gambling market into a global tech industry poses for all of us. As I’ve already said, we all want the same outcomes for our jurisdictions – operators who are compliant with our regulations and rules. In a world where many of us have the same companies, operating at the same scale, offering the same products, why can’t we share notes on how they are performing?”

Promotion of Safer Gambling by Operators

The Safer Gambling Week in Ireland and the UK, which was held this week, coincided with the IAGR conference. During Safer Gambling Week, operators emphasize the need for a safe gambling space for local bettors. Based on reports in 2021, the gambling and betting industry in the UK was worth more than $15.85 billion (£14 billion). Therefore, the sector plays a significant role in the country’s economy.

Thankfully, local operators understand their role and have come up with a few initiatives to support safer gambling. For example, eight years ago, British gambling companies, including Coral, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power, and William Hill, formed an independent regulatory body called Senet. According to its website purpose of the Senet was to promote safe gambling and advocate for a socially conscience betting market.

Following the Senet initiative, in 2016, the Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion Scheme was formed to assist gambling companies increase their bettor’s awareness of problem gambling. And the operators have not stopped at the two initiatives. For example, Entain and Flutter have created internal programs, and recently William Hill announced the launch of a betting shop that will focus on safe gambling.

Furthermore, the UK Gambling Commission receives millions of dollars from gaming operators from voluntary donations and fines. Additionally, last year GambleAware, a UK-based safer gambling charity, received 21 million from operators to support responsible gambling.