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

Loss chasing

Summary

The evidence suggests that there has been no increase in loss-chasing as a result of the changes.

A highlighted risk of increased awareness of session expenditure is that some consumers may be motivated to gamble beyond their original intentions to win back any money that has been lost.

Metrics relating to consumer motivation for behaviours such as loss chasing can be difficult to track so proxy metrics are being used. From the sample of data obtained, mean session spend has decreased since the changes were introduced and the proportion of monthly player losses exceeding £50, £200, and £1000 have all decreased. Session length has also decreased since the changes were introduced.

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Time and position Next section
Displacement to other markets

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Last updated: 8 June 2023

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