January 28, 2019

The Gambling Commission says that it recently hosted a co-creation workshop to “utilise a new method which would bring stakeholders together to explore a key industry issue”.

This is the Commission’s first workshop looking into safer gambling messaging to low and moderate-risk gamblers. Participants included three Gambling Commission experts, 12 representatives from a number of major operators and 12 consumers.

The Commission says that making gambling fairer and safer for consumers is the ultimate aim. Exploring the ways in which safer gambling messages are communicated to customers required the input of multiple operators to make meaningful progress. The Commission is also keen to include the very people who could be the main recipients of these messages.

During the day the Commission employed various methods and tools to paint a picture of existing practices, gain feedback from customers and look for opportunities for change.

This is the first time the Commission has brought consumers and operators together to talk about safer gambling messaging and it says that it was “really interesting to watch the two groups interact in a positive way”. Further, it says, bringing operators and consumers together in an open forum allowed the Commission to “share challenges and identify potential future collaborations”.

Key findings from the workshop included:

• hearing the voice of the customer, including what they liked about existing messages and how they would react to new methods of communication;
• understanding how operators engage with consumers to inform their own approach to customer interaction regarding safer gambling messaging; and
• identifying and sharing best practice.

The Commission says that the day also provided many ideas for change that operators could consider when planning for future activities. The findings have been written up in a report. Further, a consultation on Customer Interaction will take place in the next few weeks. This consultation will look at formal requirements relating to Customer Interaction, which are contained within the LCCP. To read the Commission’s press release and to access the report, click here.