Consumer Voice aims to help the gambling regulator understand the experiences of UK gamblers, providing information alongside the Gambling Survey for Great Britain. It seeks to offer a “flexible, targeted approach to gathering insight” and a way to conduct “deep dives into specific issues, test new ideas, and track consumer sentiment over time”.
The programme engaged with more than 10,000 gambling consumers in 2024, while previous studies have examined financial risk checks, bonus incentives, and gambling during the cost-of-living crisis.
Greater agility and reach
Undergoing restructuring, the Commission noted that Consumer Voice will be able to dive deeper into the views, motivations, and behaviours of gambling consumers.
This includes those from underrepresented or harder-to-reach groups, such as people who gamble on specific products, certain demographic groups, and those experiencing negative consequences of gambling, whether it be their own or someone else’s.
The four specialist research suppliers being included in the Consumer Voice programme under the new framework are Yonder Consulting, The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), Humankind Research and Savanta. Each will have a two-year contract that can be extended until 2029.
Commenting on the new framework, the UKGC’s Head of Research, Laura Carter, noted that the restructuring of Consumer Voice will give the Commission “greater agility and reach than ever before”.
“With these four partners, we’re better equipped to commission high-quality research quickly and use a range of approaches to respond to emerging trends or risks as they develop,” added Carter.
“The Consumer Voice programme is central to our efforts to ensure our decisions are grounded in the lived experiences of all consumers and the evolving realities of gambling.”
Specialist research suppliers
Yonder Consulting is a specialist organisation in mixed methodology research that has partnered with the UKGC’s Consumer Voice programme for the past three years, exploring the consumer experience elements such as industry trust, unlicensed market engagement, key sporting event behaviours and the impact of marketing and bonus offers.
BIT is an experimental and behavioural research expert team that combines human behaviour understanding and evidence-led problem solving to help improve people’s lives.
Eleanor Collerton, Senior Advisor at The Behaviour Insights Team, stated: “We’re excited to contribute our expertise in experimental research to generate new insights, address key evidence gaps, and help ensure consumer voices shape meaningful and effective gambling policy, building on more than five years of work to reduce gambling harms in GB.”
Humankind Research is composed of qualitative experts with a focus on complex issues and the lived experience of hard-to-reach audiences via sensitive and inclusive research approaches to understand their experiences and needs and to guide policy and priorities.
Savanta offers fast-turnaround, cost-effective research tools that are quantitative and qualitative.
“Savanta are delighted to be one of the suppliers chosen to support the Gambling Commission on its Consumer Voice programme,” commented Olly Wright, Head of Public at Savanta.
“Through our range of quantitative and qualitative quick-turnaround research tools, we can ensure the Commission stays on the pulse of consumer opinion and behaviours and help it in its efforts to put the voice of gambling consumers at the heart of its work.”
