The importance of interacting with customers
We have requirements in our Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) which set out the minimum standards that we expect you to comply with.
Customer interaction
3.4.1 Customer interaction for premises-based operators
The following code is relevant to this section: LCCP: 3.4.1 - Premises-based customer interaction.
This requirement applies to customer interaction in premises-based gambling. The requirements originally came into effect in October 2019 and include a requirement to take into account our guidance for operators.
Customer interaction: formal guidance for premises-based operators.
3.4.2 Customer interaction for lotteries
The following code is relevant to this section: LCCP: 3.4.2 - Customer interaction – lotteries.
This requirement applies to lottery licences.
3.4.3 Customer Interaction for remote customer interaction
The following code is relevant to this section: LCCP: 3.4.3 - Remote customer interaction.
We published the outcome of our consultation on requirements for customer interaction in remote gambling in April 2022.
The majority of these requirements came into effect on 12 September 2022. Paragraph 10 will come into effect on 12 February 2023. In Paragraph 1, the words ‘as explained in the Commission’s guidance (see paragraph 2)’; and the entirety of Requirements 2 and 3 are not yet in effect.
The customer interaction formal guidance for remote gambling operators issued in June 2022 under 3.4.3 is not in effect and operators are not required to take it into account. In late September we intend to commence a further consultation on matters to be addressed in the guidance, by way of consultation on the guidance itself. See this update on the timetable for customer interaction requirements and guidance for more details.
Previous formal customer interaction guidance for remote gambling operators was in effect from 31 October 2019, and additional formal guidance on customer interaction to remote gambling operators was issued on 12 May 2020. Both the previous formal guidance for remote gambling operators and the additional guidance ceased to be in effect from 11 September 2022 and operators are not required to take them into account.
Problem gambling rates by activity
Paragraph 14 of Social Responsibility Code Provision 3.4.3 requires licensees to take account of problem gambling rates for the relevant gambling activities, as published by the Commission, in order to check whether the number of customer interactions is, at a minimum, in line with this level. Those rates are as follows:
| Gambling activity | Problem gambler (according to the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) or DSM-IV1) |
|---|---|
| Lotteries and related products: | |
| Other lotteries | 1.3 percent |
| Machines and/or games: | |
| Football pools | 5.1 percent |
| Online gambling on slots, casino or bingo games | 8.5 percent |
| Betting activities: | |
| Online betting with a bookmaker | 3.7 percent |
| Betting exchange | 10.7 percent |
Source: The percentage of people identified as problem gamblers (according to the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) or DSM-IV1) by individual gambling activities are set out in table 16 of the Health Survey for England 2018: Supplementary analysis on gambling (opens in a new tab). Note that table 16 covers all gambling activities, some of which are not relevant for the purposes of Social Responsibility Code Provision 3.4.3 (such as premises-based gambling).
Notes
1 The DSM-IV screening instrument is based on criteria from the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV).
Last updated: 4 January 2023
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