London, 14 December: GambleAware has published a report from researchers at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) which looked into the ways of reducing risky play online. As part of GambleAware’s remote gambling research programme, this study used a variety of research methods including semi-structured interviews, a mystery shopping exercise, and analysis operator data to explore ways of reducing risky play in online environments. The study showed that gamblers felt that the nature of online sites can encourage them to become engrossed in their play, and that money spent online doesn’t ‘feel real’. These findings were also supported by the mystery shopping exercise, in which our researchers engaged in low stakes gambling, on six operator websites, over a period of two weeks. As part of this study, BIT also worked with Sky Betting & Gaming and Bet365 to test behavioural science informed messages for those identified as at-risk with the aim of increasing uptake of Responsible Gambling tools. This was done by making them easier to access (i.e. reducing “friction”) and by informing the player that their gambling behaviour is riskier than other people’s (i.e. “social norms”). On both websites, they found that reducing friction increased the number of players setting deposit limits and setting a cool-off period, compared with ‘business as usual’ messages. The Behavioural Insights Team said: “The rise of online gambling means that placing a bet is only ever a few clicks away. This increased accessibility has been a boon for the majority of gamblers who play safely. However, for those that are negatively affected by gambling, increased accessibility poses a risk of financial, social or health-related harm. This project has made strides to better understand behaviours related to risky play online. There are simple actions operators can take: for example, simply reducing steps to access responsible gambling tools increased take-up. However, there is still a lot to learn. To make real progress in preventing harm, we need operators to test ambitious and impactful solutions that protect at-risk gamblers. These solutions need to be rigorously tested and scaled across the industry. This will be the core objective of our second phase of work with GambleAware.”

Read the announcement, the report and the summary.