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UKGC Publishes New 'Path to Play Framework' Research
By Jeff Osienya Jun 04, 2022 IndustryIn a bid to figure out gambling behavior, the UK Gambling Commission conducted a study titled ‘Path to Play Framework.’ Join us as we dive deeper into the research and how its findings will serve Britain’s gambling scene in the future.The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published the findings of its latest research dubbed ‘Path to Play’. According to the regulator’s announcement on its official website, the study was aimed at trying to have a better understanding of the habits of gamblers. Indeed, the gambling experience for players, just like any other activity, differs from one individual to the next. While one person’s gambling session could have been nerve-racking, another individual’s gameplay encounter could be exceptionally calm.
Through this research, the regulator hopes it will get a better grasp of the gambling experience as a whole and how it influences the participants. The study will also help the regulator understand the risks gamblers face and assist in addressing some of the mitigating factors to the associated risks.
UKGC’s ‘Path to Play’ study involved 937 people who had been gambling over the past 12 months. The regulator then broke down the findings of the player gambling experience into six distinctive stages, namely: Passive Influences, External Triggers, Internal Impulses, Active search, Play Experience and Play Outcome.
The Influence of Different Gambling Factors Vary at Each Stage
As you can imagine, there are very many factors that influence gambling among people. According to the ‘Path to Play’ research, these factors will have a greater or lesser influence on the player at each stage of their gambling activity. While the said factors are numerous, some will have a more significant impact than others.
For instance, the study showed that winning experiences largely influence many people to gamble. This may either be through the individual players themselves scoring wins or seeing other people winning. And even though it may seem like operator advertising and sponsorship are significant factors that influence people into gambling, the study found that these factors did not have much influence on behavior and attitudes. So, the research instead categorized the advertising and sponsorships as ‘background noise.’
Meanwhile, the study also indicated that special offers, direct communication, and unusually favorable odds overwhelmingly impact gambling. Likewise, past experiences such as having ever played or won a gambling game or even simply having already set up an account also greatly influence online betting and gambling.
The survey also highlighted that gambling is likely to be influenced by wildly popular events such as the World Cup, Olympics, and English Premier League finals. True to this finding, the US sports betting scene records some of its highest gambling activity during highly anticipated events such as the Super Bowl and the NBA finals.
Higher Focus on Problem Gamblers
With the framework in place, more focus was placed on problem gamblers as the ‘Path to Play’ research found them to be highly susceptible throughout all the stages outlined in the framework. In addition, these types of gamblers are particularly vulnerable to passive influences in the form of a wide array of factors.
The said triggers could include their upbringing, the social circles they find themselves in, their day-to-day encounters with gambling, and past experiences. They encounter more triggers than other gamblers and are more likely to set limits they cannot pass when it comes to gambling. However, more often than not, they are likely to break beyond those limits. They are also heavily induced by internal impulses in the form of societal and cultural behaviors and even picking gambling up as a habit. On top of that, UKGC’s study underscored how much problem gamblers find it difficult to shake the problem off when it creeps up.
While the research sought to find out what impacted problem gamblers into constantly gambling, there was also an effort to shed light on whether safer gambling measures by operators were working. For example, many respondents admitted they frequently came across safer gambling messages but felt that these messages had minimal impact on helping them with their gambling problems. This finding is vital in assisting the UKGC in developing newer, more effective ways of promoting safe gambling.
How Will the ‘Path to Play’ Study Impact UK’s Gambling Scene?
The main aim of the ‘Path to Play’ research is to create a baseline for the UKGC to formulate new policies for the future. This will also allow the UKGC to create policies (with the underlying problems in mind) to address critical issues such as problem gambling. It is, therefore, commendable that the commission is prioritizing the needs and outlook of the average UK gambler in this study.
What remains to be seen is whether the research was a one-time thing or whether it will be a regular occurrence in the future of the commission’s operations. As things stand, however, the UKGC has pointed out that the exploration of data and findings will be something that will be a routine undertaking.
Should surveys like the ‘Path to Play’ be a regular occurrence in the future, it will be a big part of a string of changes that the gambling sector is currently undergoing in the UK. The UK Gambling Act review is beckoning, with the initial white paper due in a matter of weeks. Even though the ‘Path to Play’ study won’t be a factor in the new laws, for now, it is certainly something that the commission should consider retaining for the long haul.
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