Report

Assessment of online games design changes

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

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Published
8 June 2023

Last updated
8 June 2023 - Changes

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Contents

• Assessment of online games design changes

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• 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

Games design

Summary

There has been no notification or detection of any breach of the regulation through the development of new games but we continue to engage where we see potential issues.

Another assumption identified in the Theory of Change section of this report was the risk that slots games could be designed or 'bundled' in a different way that resulted in similar play behaviour without constituting a breach of regulations.

New games entering the market are tested by an independent test house. There are also horizon-scanning methods within the Gambling Commission for new products that have the potential to be contentious or innovative. Through these avenues, the Commission has not identified any non-compliance with the new requirements or any introduced that attempts to ‘bundle’ games together.

We continue to engage where we see potential issues with classification of products.

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Use of multiple tabs Next section
Displacement to other games

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Last updated: 8 June 2023

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