Report

Assessment of online games design changes

Gambling Commission report focusing on research conducted into the impact of the online gambling games design changes.

---

Published
8 June 2023

Last updated
8 June 2023 - Changes

Document actions
Print or save

Contents

• Assessment of online games design changes

---

• Executive summary
• Introduction
  • - Background and approach
  • - Theory of Change
• Methodology and limitations
  • - Methodology for key sources
  • - Limitations
• Outcomes
  • - Reduced play intensity
  • - Consumer awareness
  • - Reduced binge gambling
  • - Gambling within consumer means
  • - Complaints
  • - Safer gambling measures
  • - Increased trust in gambling providers
  • - Reduced 'problem gambling' rates
• Assumptions
  • - Staking behaviour
  • - Session length
  • - Use of multiple tabs
  • - Games design
  • - Displacement to other games
  • - Time and position
  • - Loss chasing
  • - Displacement to other markets
  • - Inconvenience for gamblers
• Conclusions and next steps
• Appendices

Displacement to other games

Summary

The evidence suggests there has been no sizeable displacement to any product.

Another potential consequence of the game design process that was highlighted in the Theory of Change section of this report was the risk that consumers adapt more harmful gambling behaviours.

The Gambling Commission’s market data does not show any sizeable increase in revenue for other gambling products. The data identifies that, despite decreasing stake sizes, spin speeds, and session length, the revenue from slots products has continued to increase. In the sample of gambling businesses taken, there were 35.6 billion spins in the six months prior to the changes and this increased to 36.5 billion spins in the six months afterwards.

Figure 8: The number of spins by players using multiple tabs, browsers or accounts simultaneously while playing online slots games

Experience of players using multiple tabs, browsers or accounts simultaneously while playing online slots games

Statement	Six months pre-change (billions)	Six months post-change (billions)
Number of Spins	35.6	36.5

Previous section
Games design Next section
Time and position

---

Last updated: 8 June 2023

Show updates to this content

No changes to show.