Consultation response
Customer interaction guidance for remote gambling operators: Consultation Response
This response sets out our position in relation to the consultation around the guidance on new, more prescriptive, customer interaction requirements for operators.
Contents
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Summary of responses
- - Topic 1: The overall format, structure and language of guidance
- - Topic 2: Introduction and Section A of the guidance – overarching content
- - Topic 3: Section B of the guidance – Identify customers at risk of harm
- - Topic 4: Section B of the guidance continued – Identify vulnerability
- - Topic 5: Section C of the guidance – Take action for customers at risk of harm
- - Topic 6: Section D of the guidance – Evaluate
- - Topic 7: Further consultation questions
Introduction
We received 51 written responses to the consultation from the following categories of respondents:
- 15 from members of the public
- 26 from gambling operators
- 10 from other stakeholders.
We also held a workshop with gambling operators in December 2022, during the consultation period, to gather feedback and answer any queries associated with the consultation. The workshop was with gambling operators as the proposed guidance sets out detailed information about how a gambling operator can meet the requirements and it is important to take account of gambling operator experiences of implementing the requirements.
This consultation related to proposed guidance associated with Social Responsibility (SR) Code Provision 3.4.3. The following issues were not within the scope of this consultation exercise:
- the requirements of Social Responsibility (SR) Code Provision 3.4.3 itself
- matters associated with financial risk or unaffordable gambling and the specific thresholds which should apply
- matters associated with sharing data across gambling operators to identify customers at risk of harm, which is often referred to as a ‘single customer view’. Information about the Gambling Commission’s work on a single customer view.
On the topic of financial risk, the Commission committed to a separate consultation on the three key financial risks which it has identified in that context: significant unaffordable losses over a short period (binge gambling), significant unaffordable losses over a sustained period, and customers who are particularly financially vulnerable. Following the publication of the white paper connected with the Government's Review of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab), the Commission launched a consultation on 26 July 2023 on proposed changes to Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards (RTS), and arrangements for Regulatory Panels (opens in new tab). This consultation includes our proposals for financial risk and financial vulnerability checks.
Some of the consultation responses covered issues connected with the substance of the requirements of Social Responsibility (SR) Code Provision 3.4.3, rather than the guidance associated with these requirements. This feedback has been noted, but changes to the requirements were not considered due to such changes not being in scope of the consultation and the requirements having previously been subject to consultation.
Introductory consultation questions
In this consultation, the Commission piloted some new introductory questions. These were to help us better understand the perspective of the responses we receive to inform and tailor our policy decisions. They included questions about the frequency with which people gamble, whether they have gambled online in the past four weeks and whether they have experienced negative consequences as a result of their own or someone else’s gambling.
We received feedback that these questions were not relevant for people who were responding on behalf of an organisation and have amended them for future consultations. They will now only be asked primarily of people responding as individuals.
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Summary of responses - Customer interaction guidance for remote gambling operators
Last updated: 3 October 2023
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