Report

ABSG Progress Report on the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms – Year Two

ABSG - Year two Progress Report on the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms

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Published
7 July 2021

Last updated
28 June 2021 - Changes

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Contents

• ABSG Progress Report on the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms – Year Two

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• Executive summary
• Recommendations
• Introduction
• Introduction
• Background
• Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on partnership working
• Trends in gambling
• Gambling Act Review
• Online harms
• Delivery and governance
• Delivery and governance
• Progress involving people with lived experience of gambling harms.
• Mixed picture of national strategic co-ordination of implementation
• Metrics for measuring harm
• Evaluation of policy
• Funding
• Research
• Prevention and education
• Prevention and education
• Improved regulatory protections
• Suicide and gambling
• Improved profile of gambling harms as a public health issue
• Increased engagement from the financial services sector
• Gambling is not yet fully integrated with local public health activity
• Increased education and awareness raising activity
• Treatment and support
• Treatment and support
• Expansion of treatment and support services in new areas
• The evidence base for treatment is developing but incomplete
• Need for more integrated treatment services
• Clarification of referral pathways required
• Triage and completed treatments
• Lack of independent quality assurance
• Follow-up support
• Conclusions
• Annex 1: Priority Metrics for measurement of National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms

5 - Increased engagement from the financial services sector

The increased activity within the financial services sector is a key area of progress. It has the potential to contribute to align with the ‘whole systems approach’ to reducing gambling harms.

This activity is vital given the unique role this sector can play in reducing gambling harms and over the past twelve months progress has continued to accelerate.

Key areas of progress

Major banks, including Lloyds and HSBC, have established specialist support teams to identify and support customers with gambling addictions⁹³. In addition, there has been an increase in the number of major banks introducing gambling blocks, as well as improvements to make these tools more effective. It is estimated that blocking software is now available to around 60% of personal current accounts and 40% of credit cards⁹⁴.

The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, funded by a regulatory settlement, delivered a conference for financial services firms to discuss and identify best practice in terms of protecting customers from gambling harms. Best practice guidance will be published later in 2021⁹⁵. This work helps join up activity from across the sector to help contribute to improved outcomes for consumers.

One major bank has collaborated in a major research project examining the associations between gambling and social, financial and health outcomes⁹⁶.

The Financial Conduct Authority have published guidance for financial services on identifying vulnerability and have identified gambling as an additional factor in vulnerability⁹⁷. This puts more responsibility on banks and lenders to be aware of customers spend on gambling.

GamBan have proposed the introduction of minimum standards for gambling blocking software, designed to ensure that all products are accessible, effective, responsive accountable and safe. The work to develop these standards was co-produced with people with lived experience and reflects best practise in standards development in health and social care⁹⁸.

GamCare set up an Advisory group on Financial Harm which includes banks and advice and support agencies and launched a Gambling related Financial harm Toolkit in September 2020⁹⁹.

This activity across the financial services sector is positive and we look forward to seeing the industry build on this promising start in future years. It provides new opportunities for consumer protection and enhances the reputation of the financial services sector. There are valuable lessons here on the potential benefits of data sharing for the gambling industry.

References

⁹³ Worth the gamble? HSBC UK increases gambling block feature to 72-hours (opens in new tab), HSBC, January 2021

⁹⁴ Bank card blockers: a story of progress (opens in new tab), MMHPI, October 2021

⁹⁵ 3 takeaways from our conference for financial services firms on tackling gambling harms (opens in new tab), MMHPI, October 2020

⁹⁶ The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data (opens in new tab), Muggleton et al, Nature Human Behaviour 5, February 2021

⁹⁷ Finalised guidance, FG21/1 Guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable consumers (opens in new tab), FCA, February 2021

⁹⁸ Fundamental standards for blocking software: ensuring quality support for people impacted by difficulties with gambling, Vita CA, GamBan (opens in new tab), March 2021

⁹⁹ Gambling Related Financial Harm (opens in new tab), GamCare (accessed 14 April 2021)

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Gambling is not yet fully integrated with local public health activity

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Last updated: 28 June 2021

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