SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Tim Miller, Executive Director of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), has said that the financial services industry is more than capable of helping in the fight against problem gambling.
The comments were made during the launch event of the Gambling Harms Action Lab (GHAL), the idea for which was first conceived in 2019 with the Commission’s National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms – succeeded by the reforms introduced with the Gambling Act Review White Paper in April 2023.
Miller highlighted that the gambling industry and relevant charities have since made significant improvements in the identification and prevention of gambling harm.
One such milestone that was reached to help build the data set was the recent publication of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) – the largest survey of its kind to analyse the drivers and markers of problem gambling prevalence.
While it’s undoubtedly a commendable achievement for the regulator and the gambling sector as a whole, Miller added that looking at the matter from a ‘single lens’ remains a risk that could obscure the full picture when it comes to consumer protection.
“You need a range of perspectives to truly understand the complexities of gambling harms,” the Executive Director said.
This is where individual financial services companies come into play, with their involvement and collaboration with the gambling sector proving to be a key factor in the efforts to address gambling harms.
“For example, the self-exclusion schemes that gambling companies are required to provide can absolutely help protect consumers. But if on top of that tool you layer the gambling blocks that some banks have introduced, the consumers have access to a much stronger toolkit of protective measures,” Miller said.
Over the next three years, GHAL’s overall goal will be to bring a structure to the financial sector’s ability to deliver an impact in the debate surrounding gambling harm, bringing people with lived experiences of problem gambling together with financial firms to develop strategies that will disrupt harmful tendencies.
“To those in the room today that are from the financial sector my message to you is,” Miller concluded. “You may not be the cause of gambling harm but you have an amazing opportunity to be part of the solution.
“To work collaboratively to find creative ways of better protecting gambling consumers, consumers who are also your customers. So please, do not miss your chance to help make gambling safer.”
