In control: How to support safer gambling using a behaviour change approach

The Senet Group

Summary

Despite previous attempts to reduce problem gambling, many have not delivered the desired reduction in harm or increased responsible gambling.

This research, which takes a behaviour change approach, provides a way of thinking about how and why people behave as they do when they’re gambling and drawing out the opportunities for industry operators to influence and change their customers’ behaviour.

Detail

To capture the evidence necessary to inform this approach, this research is based on not only what respondents told us about their behaviour, but used shadowing and other data to build a fuller understanding of people’s real-life behaviour.

The research shows that for people to gamble safely, they need to stay in control while gambling. Responsible gambling initiatives should start from the premise that they need to help people stay in control.

As the behavioural model developed through this research shows, gambling operators can help people stay in control by supporting their motivation and making it easy to do so.
This report sets out specific examples of actions the industry could take and illustrates the scale of the wider opportunity.