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

Background and approach

1. 2021

   31 October: The changes come into force.

   February: The consultation response on online slots game design and reverse withdrawals is published, alongside the package of changes announced which will make online games safer by design.

2. 2020

   July to September: The consultation on online slots game design and reverse withdrawals (opens in new tab) takes place.

3. 2019

   September: ABSG Advice to the Gambling Commission on actions to reduce online harms published.

Aims

The main aim of the changes introduced for online slots products was to make them safer by limiting spin speeds, removing certain play features, and increasing the visibility of relevant information. Alongside these changes, the permanent ban on reverse withdrawals was announced. This was introduced on 31 May 2020.

The Gambling Commission focused on online slots because of the features which increase the intensity of play and the corresponding risks to players. These features may have contributed to slot games having the highest average losses per player of online gambling products.

However, it was recognised from the outset that the introduction of multiple measures at the same time would make it very difficult to attribute any observed changes to a single measure. There were two other significant complications for attribution of observed changes. One relates to the ongoing impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) in late 2021, which impacted land-based gambling premises and online gambling behaviours. The other relates to voluntarily introduced changes by gambling businesses, which impacted different aspects of data collection at different times and to varying degrees.

When introducing these changes, the Commission was mindful of potential unintended consequences of the changes that were introduced, including the risk of increased staking-behaviour, increased session-length, or a negative impact on player experiences.

The consultation on online slots game design and reverse withdrawals (opens in new tab) and the accompanying consultation response on online games design and reverse withdrawals have more information on the aims of the changes.

Next section
Theory of Change

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Last updated: 8 June 2023

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