Problem gambling poses significant challenges to individuals and communities alike, necessitating a multi-faceted approach for effective mitigation. Through a lens of cultural change, affordability assessments, and friction reduction, the following strategies aim to foster a safer gambling environment.
Cultivating Cultural Change:
Central to combating problem gambling is the imperative of instigating cultural shifts within gambling firms. GamCare advocates for the implementation of comprehensive programs aimed at fostering heightened staff awareness. This entails equipping personnel with enhanced training to effectively guide customers towards available tools and services geared towards safeguarding against problem gambling.
Enhancing Affordability Assessments:
Adopting a holistic approach to affordability assessments, GamCare proposes the integration of a “gambling harm lens.” This system, developed collaboratively with charities and individuals with lived experience of harmful gambling, seeks to delineate a robust set of indicators and interventions. By imbuing assessments with this perspective, firms can better identify and assist vulnerable customers, thereby mitigating potential harm.
Reducing Friction in Support Systems:
GamCare underscores the necessity of minimizing obstacles for individuals seeking to cease gambling behaviors. This includes advocating against automated credit increases for at-risk customers, a practice that can exacerbate financial vulnerability. By streamlining support mechanisms and reducing barriers to cessation, gamblers are afforded greater agency in their journey towards recovery.
Insights from Colin Walsh, GamCare’s Lived Experience Manager:
Colin Walsh, drawing from personal encounters and insights gleaned from GamCare’s lived experience community, underscores the rapid escalation of gambling-related harm. He highlights the perils of easy access to multiple lines of credit in a digitally-driven, 24/7 milieu, emphasizing the resultant spiral into uncontrolled and unsustainable gambling behaviors. The emotional toll of guilt, remorse, and shame further compounds the impact, underscoring the urgent need for systemic reform.
Perspective from John Wightman, Ombudsman Leader and Head of Practice, Consumer Credit:
John Wightman, from the vantage point of the Financial Ombudsman Service, sheds light on the nexus between harmful gambling and consumer vulnerability. He posits that in cases involving problem gambling, vulnerable customers often lie at the heart of complaints. Wightman underscores the imperative for firms to prioritize fair treatment, particularly by proactively providing support to customers exhibiting signs of vulnerability.
Addressing problem gambling necessitates a concerted effort encompassing cultural transformation, refined affordability assessments, and streamlined support systems. By heeding the recommendations set forth by GamCare and insights from key stakeholders, stakeholders can collaboratively forge a path towards a safer and more sustainable gambling landscape.