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GambleAware: eradicating stigma faced by women experiencing gambling harm

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GambleAware has spotlighted those who are most at risk of experiencing stigma related to gambling harms.

Commissioned by the gambling support charity, the newly-released research project revealed that women were one of several demographics that are most at risk of experiencing gambling harms stigma, as support catered for women has taken a long time to arrive.

Women also experienced another layer of stigma as “their experiences did not align with the traditional stereotype of a male gambler”.

Other demographics more likely to face greater stigma due to experiencing gambling harms include young people, single people, people with children, people from minority ethnic groups, people from religious groups and people with alcohol and drug-related difficulties.

Tracy Madlin, who has experience of gambling harms, said: “Gambling harms had a terrible effect on my life for many years. But it was really hard for me to reach out for help because of people not understanding gambling harms and there being a stigma around them.

“This made me worried that I was going to be judged if I opened up. I think things wouldn’t have gotten so bad for me if there hadn’t been that stigma around it and I would have been able to get help earlier.

“It was particularly hard for me as a woman, because women who are experiencing gambling harms are seen differently to men in the same situation. I was a mum and a homemaker, so people saw me in a certain way and wouldn’t have expected that I would have been experiencing gambling harm.

“Even when I did reach out for help, I found that there wasn’t much specifically for women. When I first walked into a fellowship looking for help, there were 54 men, and I was the only woman. Now I help run female-preferred groups, but it’s taken a long time to get this kind of help for women.”

Gambling harms stigma research

The studies also revealed how those who are subject to gambling harms stigma can suffer from poor mental health, depression, stress, a lack of self-esteem, reduced confidence and in some cases self-harm.

GambleAware added that the research highlights why stigma campaigns, such as the one launched by the charity back in April this year, are important as they challenge stigmatisation and help people who are suffering to reach out for support.

The research project – published across four reports through the combined efforts of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), the University of Wolverhampton, Liverpool John Moores University and Magenta Research – examines how people in Britain who experience gambling harm are stigmatised and discriminated against.

Here are links to each of the four reports: Quantitative, Qualitative, Synthesis and Discourse.

Analysis was conducted of naturalistic data from online peer support forums, alongside a nationally representative survey of 3,567 people in Great Britain (including people with varying levels of experience of gambling harms).

35 people with gambling harms lived experience were also interviewed, as well as 24 people from groups who had come into contact with people who experience gambling harms, in addition to a discourse analysis exploring how people experiencing gambling harms are presented and perceived in public spaces, such as the media.

Game type and social stigma

The research project found that in-person gambling was associated with higher experienced stigma than online gambling, likely due to it being “a more visible means of gambling”.

In-person betting on football and gaming machines were associated with relatively high levels of experienced stigma, while playing the National Lottery was the least associated with experiences of stigma.

Some participants with experience of gambling harms felt judged and excluded by their family and friends, felt they lost respect in social circles and experienced long periods of estrangement from loved ones.

This resulted in social exclusion for many impacted by gambling harms to various degrees, from no longer receiving messages from family to not speaking to family for several years, contributing to stress, depression, low mood and poor overall mental health.

Previous research from the charity showed that stigma and shame stopped people who suffered from gambling harms from seeking help, as 28% of people who experience problems with gambling hide their activities from their family and friends, while 24% who experience the most serious harm do not seek support due to shame or embarrassment.

“This research shows the devastating impact stigma can have on people’s lives and their mental health,” commented Zoë Osmond OBE, Chief Executive of GambleAware.

“Gambling harms can affect anyone, so we all need to work to remove some of the myths and misconceptions that lead people to judge or discriminate against people experiencing these harms.

“Stigma and the fear of being judged is a powerful barrier which stops people coming forward to get much-needed help, so we need to minimise it and ensure people can feel able to be open with friends and family and others around them.”

Perception

The research project also examined how the general public perceives gambling harms, highlighting that while 90% of people said they would be friends with someone who gambles without issue, the figure drops to 70% when being friends with someone experiencing gambling harms.

In addition, 83% said they would be comfortable working closely with someone who gambled without harm, but the figure declines again to 58% for working with someone experiencing gambling harm.

Research participants felt that the media could do more to change the perception of gambling harms by having more discussions on the variety of harms people who gamble might experience, as well as showing people who have overcome such harms.

However, participants also highlighted how coverage of celebrities sharing their stories of gambling harm in the media helped to raise awareness and understanding of gambling harms in society, reducing stigma.

The gambling industry was also scrutinised for its advertising, as “people with lived experience spoke of being ‘bombarded’ by gambling advertisements, which they felt contributed to stigma” by perceiving gambling as “acceptable, fun and safe”.

The report stated that this contributes to the idea that “most people who gamble do so responsibly, and a few ‘stupid’ individuals are ‘ruining’ it for everyone else”, creating an “us versus them narrative” and leading to the perception of individuals with gambling harms being “a flawed minority”.

Research also suggested that those working in the gambling industry “may be particularly prone to holding stigmatising views about people who experience gambling harms – perhaps due to endorsement of narratives around ‘individual responsibility’ for gambling harms”.

Education

Recommendations on reducing gambling harms stigma were also provided.

This included increasing education on the topic for the public, young people and professionals (such as those working in the NHS or criminal justice system), more employment practices for tackling gambling harm stigma and discrimination, as well as additional research into developing interventions to reduce public and self-stigma.

Educational campaigns were also highlighted to challenge gambling harms stigma beliefs, framing it as a public health issue, emphasising the industry’s responsibility, involving individuals with lived experience in the development and implementation of interventions, as well as avoiding using stigmatising language in public discourse.

Professor Joanne Lloyd, the research project lead at the University of Wolverhampton, noted: “This research demonstrates how detrimental stigma can be for people who experience gambling harms, and highlights how important it is to challenge it.

“We hope that the insights we have gained into how a range of individual and societal factors increase the risk of stigma and associated harm can help direct educational interventions to reduce this harm.”

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UK sector lashes out at BBC over player safety failure reports

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John Bollom, President of UK industry trade body Bacta, has hit back at the recent BBC probe into land-based player safety standards.

Bollom called a recent BBC investigation “unrepresentative”, after an undercover reporter was allegedly allowed to play across a number of Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) in South England despite self-excluding themselves.

Player protection policies mandated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) state that those on the self-excluded registry must be revoked access to AGCs within a 1km radius, or more if they decide to expand it.

Bacta’s President did not outright deny the results however, instead focusing on the fact that the industry must collectively address such scenarios to ensure appropriate actions are taken in a timely manner.

“This week has shown the glee with which our critics seize upon any perceived lapse in this [player] protection. It means we all have to pull together to ensure all loopholes are tightened, that supervision is vigilant, and action is taken without hesitation.

“A multi-operator, self-exclusion system must be in place in every venue, offering customers the ability to self-exclude from facilities for the same type of gambling in the locality.

“Operators must ensure staff operate the system. Colleagues must be able to access a tablet or other device and be able to carry out self-exclusions in the venue on that device. Staff must look at the pictures of self-excluders every day, and react appropriately when one enters the venue.

“When we make mistakes we need to fix them.”

Bollom channels inner Myth Busters
Bacta’s President also took a defensive stance against recently raised concerns that land-based venues are strategically being opened across poverty-stricken areas – essentially calling them myths.

Addressing criticism that AGCs are becoming more prevalent within UK society, Bollom countered by quoting UKGC data that shows AGCs down by 35% since 2011.

Another widespread belief that can be often heard from industry opponents is that AGCs have extended operating hours to gain more financially. Bollom was again quick to slam this claim, arguing that much of the UK workforce are night shift workers, which requires AGCs to operate during early morning hours as well.

And lastly, he hit back at claims that problem gambling rates are quickly rising among consumers. Once again quoting UKGC data, Bollom referenced to the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI).

The PGSI is a tool used as part of the UKGC’s Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB) to monitor gambling rates across the country. Recent estimates have shown that risk rates levitate between the 0.3 and the 0.7 percentage mark.

However, there have been previous calls for the UKGC to improve its data collection policies in order to build back confidence in the survey.

Local powers still on edge
The biggest pushback against AGCs in recent months was a joint letter by 39 local governments addressed to the DCMS calling for more powers within mayors’ hands when it comes to AGC planning applications. All of the points raised by Bollom were used as arguments by the councils, but they were arguing the other sides of the issues.

And while 39 councils collectively calling for action is certainly hard to ignore, it remains to be seen whether this will have any effects on UK gambling policy, as the country is already actively implementing recommendations from a now done-and-dusted Gambling Act Review White Paper.

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Gambling Commission ‘concerned’ by BBC gambling centre probe

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched an investigation after a BBC report revealed stark compliance failures at gambling venues in the UK.

An undercover operation undertaken by File on 4 Investigates found that a BBC reporter who had placed himself on a self-exclusion register was able to play on slot machines at four out of five Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) he entered in Portsmouth, England.

Once signed up to a self-exclusion scheme at an AGC, a player’s image should be shared among similar venues within a 1km radius, and any players on the list should be prevented from playing. This distance can be extended further by calling a helpline.

“We take protecting consumers extremely seriously,” a Gambling Commission spokesperson told iGaming Expert. “The results of this BBC investigation are very concerning, and we will be taking urgent steps to investigate what has happened.”

According to the BBC, two of the venues the reporter entered were not signed up to a self-exclusion scheme, breaching one of the conditions of their gaming licence. They have since begun working with a self-exclusion scheme.

There are two self-exclusion schemes that AGCs can join. One called SmartExclusion and another run by Bacta, the trade body for AGC venues.

The UKGC notes that local authorities are responsible for licensing such premises, and part of the licensing fee they charge is used to inspect gambling businesses in regards to their compliance with responsible gambling measures.

Within the BBC report, Tim Miller, Executive Director of the UKGC, committed to “double down” on efforts to ensure that these checks are performed.

“Most of all, we do need to see inspections of those properties,” he told the BBC. “They’re not onerous, for just checking that what [AGCs are] actually doing is what they’re meant to do, and they’re not doing stuff which is marginally illegal.”

AGC scrutiny escalates

These damming findings come at a time when such gambling venues are facing increasing scrutiny from local authorities, who accuse AGCs of targeting the poorest areas of the UK.

In April, a letter addressed to DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed fear that local communities are being overwhelmed by “24-hour slot shops”.

36 councils and two mayors, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, signed the letter calling for “key reforms of the Gambling Act”, which they believe has overlooked community-level concerns about gambling harms.

In particular, leaders are demanding greater local authority control over granting gambling licences to venues.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council and author of the letter, commented: “Communities like Brent are experiencing a surge of land-based gambling operators spreading along our high streets, seemingly targeting areas of higher deprivation to maximise profits. The alarming concentration of these premises often faces strong community opposition, as well as concerns from public health and community safety officials.

“But despite this shared opposition among residents, police, and politicians, councils have found themselves effectively powerless to intervene. The current statutory ‘Aim to Permit’ duty severely restricts a council’s ability to block the opening of additional gambling venues, even when the community is unequivocally against it.”

Concerning compliance failures

Within the BBC report, gamblers shared their own experience of the failings of staff at AGCs.

One gambler spoken to as part of the investigation revealed that a member of staff at an AGC offered to show her how to remove a block on her bank account that she had put in place to prevent her from making transactions at gambling venues.

Meanwhile, the report also spoke to the family of a woman whose problem gambling activity sparked UKGC intervention against Merkur Slots UK Limited.

In February, the operator was handed a £95,450 fine for failing to interact with the customer, who lost £1,981 across two gaming sessions at its AGC in Stockport.

According to the UKGC’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), premises-based businesses such as Merkur are obligated to interact with customers to minimise the risk of customers experiencing gambling harm.

The UKGC noted at the time of announcing the penalty, Merkur had taken action to correct the compliance failure at the store in question.

“We urge anyone with concerns to report potential breaches of our rules through our confidential report line as soon as they can,” advised the UKGC spokesperson.

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Ladbrokes’ breach of ASA Code should set an example, legal expert says

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A legal advisor has cautioned UK operators like Ladbrokes to always ensure they remain on the safe side when it comes to advertising.

Felix Faulkner, solicitor at licensing law firm Poppleston Allen, gave his two cents on the recent Ladbrokes fallout with the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) by highlighting the importance of placing a promotion within a wider social context before running it.

Measure twice, cut once
Addressing all UK operators, Faulkner advised that companies should be aware of three main points when handling promotions – the terminology and naming of the products or offers, the historic and current colloquial use of the terms being used, and the implications of any derivative advertising efforts.

“Responsible gambling is a fundamental tenet of the Gambling Act, and the remit falls solely in the laps of operators and licence holders to ensure that their marketing and advertisements always adhere to the LCCP and the ASA regulations,” the solicitor added.

“It is always better to be safe than sorry.”

Ladbrokes learns firsthand
What led to Faulkner’s comments was a recent decision by the ASA to uphold several complaints made against Ladbrokes advertisements.

The case featured the operator’s airing of two TV and video-on-demand promotions featuring its free-to-play game currency called ‘Ladbucks’.

ASA’s subsequent ruling deemed the adverts potentially appealing to minors due to the branding terminology, with ‘bucks’ specifically reminiscent of the ‘V-bucks’ virtual currency used in the video game Fortnite, and the ‘Robux’ currency of the video game Roblox – both games immensely popular among children.

In addition, the advertising regulator saw a problem with the term ‘lad’ as well – although it has been intrinsic to the Ladbrokes brand since its inception.

ASA stated that it views the word ‘lad’ as a colloquial UK term referring to a boy or a young man, which combined with the word ‘bucks’ constitutes a breach of its anti-minor advertising code altogether.
Ladbrokes, which is a property of Entain, has disagreed with both conclusions, but has nevertheless taken action to remove the featured content.

Faulkner concluded: “While it is understandable that a brand called Ladbrokes might produce an in-play betting reward token with the term ‘lad’ in it, it is of utmost importance for all licence holders to sense-check a number of things before running a promotion.

“It is evident from the Ladbrokes decision that the ASA believed the close link to Fortnite and Roblox pushed this proposal over the line, and the argued mitigation from Ladbrokes was not enough to defend the case.”

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Gordon Moody makes crisis call at House of Commons

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The UK’s leading residential treatment charity Gordon Moody co-hosted a reception with Labour Party MP Chris Bloore at the House of Commons yesterday to raise awareness of the growing crisis surrounding the implementation of the research, education and treatment levy. A room full of dignitaries, industry representatives and other charities heard about the life-changing services…

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ASA raps Ladbrokes for ‘Ladbucks’ social currency ad with under-18s appeal

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The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has upheld two complaints against Ladbrokes for an advertisement that was deemed to be of strong appeal to those under the age of 18 and in breach of the BCAP and CAP Code.

The advert in question from the Entain brand featured ‘Ladbucks’, the operator’s free-to-play games currency, and was aired on TV and video-on-demand on 17 December 2024 and 23 December 2024, respectively.

Imagery of coins with the initials ‘Lb’ was shown in the advert, alongside text that said “100m LADBUCKS”, FREE BETS” and “FREE SPINS”.

A voiceover in the advert stated: “This is a Ladbuck, the new way to get rewarded at Ladbrokes, and these are some of the 100 million Ladbucks that will be dropping weekly. Collect them on our free-to-play games and choose rewards like free spins, free bets and more.

“Over 100 million Ladbucks dropping every single week. Plus, you can even use them to play your favourite games for free in our Ladbucks arcade. Like Fishin Frenzy and Goldstrike. Start collecting at Ladbrokes.com.”

Ladbrokes contests Ladbucks’ appeal to minors

The reason why it is believed the term ‘Ladbucks’ could be of strong appeal to minors is because of its similarities to the in-game currencies of ‘V-bucks’ from Fortnite and ‘Robux’ from Roblox, two games popular with under-18s.

Ladbrokes argued that Ladbucks could only be used by logged-in, verified users over 18, couldn’t be purchased, had no monetary value, expired if not used, lacked a general market value with an exchange rate, and couldn’t be universally used across all products on its website.

Additionally, the Entain brand said each eligible product or offer had a set value, which was in contrast to in-game currency products, and that the term ‘Ladbucks’ was a play on the word Ladbrokes.

The operator argued that the term ‘bucks’ is “known as a colloquialism for dollars and was widely used to refer to money or a unit of currency in many contexts, which included video games”, had no origins in youth culture, and they believed it wasn’t of inherent strong appeal to under-18s.

Ladbrokes noted that both ads “had targeting restrictions to reduce the likelihood of children viewing them” and believed the term “was not associated with any coins from videogames which were popular with under-18s”.

It was highlighted by the operator that ‘V-bucks’ from Fortnite and ‘Robux’ from Roblox were in-game currencies that had to be purchased before being used to buy in-game items, certain elements of Robux required parental consent, and the purchaser of subscription services must be over 18.

As a result, Ladbrokes said the term bucks was the only similarity between those coins and Ladbucks, adding that the rewards programme was reviewed in its entirety with a conclusion that there was no risk of the term being associated with Fortnite or Roblox.

The operator also argued that other industries use reward schemes and that using poker chip imagery was suitable for a licensed gambling operator, and so argued that there was nothing in the advert’s imagery and content that shared similarities with either of the games.

The Entain brand also mentioned that they didn’t believe the term ‘lad’ “referred to a boy or young man”, and said their brand had never been used in that context, that Clearcast didn’t believe the term ‘Ladbucks’ appealed strongly to children or that the tokens were similar to in-game currencies.

Meanwhile, the broadcaster that showed the advert on its streaming service, Channel 4, believed the advert was compliant with the code.

ASA upholds complaints

In response, the ASA believed the Ladbucks name and appearance could be of appeal to minors due to their similarities to the in-game currencies of ‘V-bucks’ from Fortnite and ‘Robux’ from Roblox and how many under 18s play video games.

The agency also stated that Ladbucks, through the suffix ‘bucks’, had strong similarities with in-game currencies Robux and V-bucks because the latter Fortnite currency is a shortened version of ‘Vindertech’ bucks, which was a fictional company in the video game, and so similarly constructed.

Regarding the term ‘lad’, the ASA disagreed with Ladbrokes and said the term ‘lad’ was a colloquial term for a boy or young man, and so in the ad’s context alongside the word buck, it would have been recognised and of appeal to some minors.

In addition, the ASA noted that the Ladbuck poker chip design has the same characteristics as the V-buck, while the Robux’s previous iteration was also of a similar appearance.

Although Ladbrokes’ position as a gambling operator was acknowledged as a reason behind the design, the ASA stated that it was not poker chip imagery in isolation, but the token’s imagery alongside the term Ladbucks that was likely to have been perceived by many under-18s as similar to video game in-game currencies that are of strong appeal to minors.

It was also noted that the use of Ladbucks in an online store and arcade was “likely to be reminiscent of the way in-game currencies Robux and V-bucks were used” and therefore increase its appeal to minors.

The ASA stated: “For those reasons, we concluded the name Ladbucks, when considered alongside the imagery and the application of the coin in the ads, was depicted in a manner which was similar to features in video games popular with children. We therefore considered the term in the ads was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s and breached the Code.”

The agency added that the adverts must not appear again in their current form, and Ladbrokes has been told not to feature content in their adverts that has a strong appeal to under-18s or is reflective of youth culture.

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BGC: Increased gambling tax would bolster the dangerous black market

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Fears of a tax increase on online gambling in the UK loom while a new YouGov survey suggests that 65% of bettors agree that such change “would make customers turn to unregulated betting sites”.

The research was commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the trade and standards body for UK betting, which warns that this shift could not only fail to generate more tax revenue but also jeopardise player safety.

Furthermore, the BGC is also concerned that increased taxation would severely impact the financial health of sports, particularly horseracing, which currently receives significant funding from its members.

Undermining the regulated gambling market

UK gambling is a highly regulated sector, servicing 14 million adults (excluding the National Lottery) who gamble per month and generating £10.9bn in annual gross gambling yield (GGY).

Licensing duties see consumers protected by safer gambling rules, compliance monitoring, customer care interventions, responsible gambling tools, controls, and financial probity – UKGC.

With the government now consulting on a major change to the way betting and gaming is taxed online, fears of a price increase for betting on sports like racing and football are only on the rise.

Sporting betting and online gaming is currently taxed at different rates, but last month HM Treasury launched a new consultation which proposed a single new tax.

Describing the stats as “shocking”, BGC CEO Grainne Hurst said that these figures prove what’s at stake if the government forces through a self-defeating tax hike on ordinary punters.

“It’s clear it will not raise more tax, it simply risks forcing huge numbers of customers out of the regulated market, with its world leading standards on player safety, into the arms of the growing, illegal, unregulated and unsafe gambling black market online,” she said.

“Any tax rises would make a mockery of the Government’s growth strategy and be catastrophic for horseracing, which is already facing a bleak financial outlook.”

A wake up call
The study revealed that only 23% of punters believe a tax hike is unlikely to have an impact on customers moving towards the black market.

It is also worth noting that the argument around the potential impact of the black market is a long-running one – and one which politicians have not always been very receptive to.

Hurst continued: “This is a wake up call for the government, punters have been loud and clear, hit them with further taxes and they will walk away from sports like racing, straight to the black market, triggering a spiral of decline.”

The survey posed a scenario to customers: “Imagine that betting on sports events like horseracing became more expensive because the government increased the amount of tax that betting companies have to pay. How likely or unlikely do you think it is, if at all, that this would make customers turn to unregulated betting sites that don’t have to pay any tax at all?”

As stated above, the BGC’s main concerns are about the black market. It was only at the end of last year that the Council warned the government that unregulated black market gambling poses greater risks than perceived by British consumers.

This followed a study published by microeconomics consultancy Frontier Economics and was described as “the first major study on the black market since the publication of the previous Government’s White Paper on gambling reforms”.

The coverage and ease of promotion of illegal websites were detailed as an area of concern, as 15% (2.8 million people) of gamblers who responded to the survey said they had heard of at least one of the black market sites listed.

The BGC also revealed that 1.5 million Brits stake up to £4.3bn on the growing gambling black market annually.

The organisation concluded: “This growing, unsafe, illegal gambling black market does not contribute to sport, does not pay tax and targets customers who are vulnerable to harm, including the self-excluded.”

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UKGC: New Consumer Voice framework to deliver high-quality research quickly

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The UK Gambling Commission is committed to delivering high-quality research efficiently through its new Consumer Voice framework, which introduces four specialist research suppliers with unique expertise.

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.”

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UKGC suspends operator licence in Bradford over responsibility failures

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has taken action against an amusement centre in West Yorkshire for failing to protect players through a gambling harm reduction initiative.

After being found to have failed to participate in the initiative while also failing to have a complaints and disputes process in place, Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre in Bradford has had its operator licence suspended by the UKGC with immediate effect.

According to the UKGC, the venue failed to participate in a multi operator self-exclusion scheme that was put in place to allow problem gamblers to self-exclude from one or more venues in their area.

In addition to the failure to implement this self-exclusion scheme, Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre was also found to have no arrangements in place for customers to be able to refer any dispute to an alternative dispute resolution entity.

To make matters worse for the Bradfordian adult gaming venue, the operator was not compliant with section 172(1) of the Gambling Act. This statute states that Category B gaming machines must not exceed 20% of the total number of gaming machines which are available for use on the premises.

Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre’s suspension will remain in place until the Commission has been able to verify that the Licensee’s facilities are operating compliantly.

UKGC not letting up on enforcement actions
A series of incidents this year show that the UKGC is just as committed to enforcing compliance with UK betting laws and regulations as ever before. This comes against the backdrop of continuing political pressure on the sector, particularly around player protection.

In recent regulatory action taken by the UKGC, Spreadex Limited received a £2m penalty due to failings in anti-money laundering (AML) procedures and social responsibility safeguards.

The Commission’s investigation underscored a “breakdown in risk assessment” on the Spreadex.com platform, which was criticised for failing to consider core risk factors such as customer profiles, transaction methods and geographic exposure, as required under official AML guidance.

This was not the operator’s first reprimand with the regulator. In 2022, Spreadex paid a £1.36m settlement for similar AML and safer gambling failings.

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