Statistics and research release
Customer interaction – Additional formal guidance for remote operators during Covid-19 outbreak
Customer interaction – Additional formal guidance for remote operators during Covid-19 outbreak.
Summary
Additional data sets in this series
- Gambling business data on gambling September 2022 (published November 2022)
- Gambling business data on gambling June 2022 (published August 2022)
- Incorrect Covid-19 data supply
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 March 2022 (published May 2022)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 July 2021 to December 2021 (published February 2022)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 July 2021 (published September 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 June 2021 (published August 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 May 2021 (published July 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 April 2021 (published June 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 March 2021 (published April 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 February 2021 (published March 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 December 2020 (published February 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 November 2020 (published January 2021)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 October 2020 (published December 2020)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 September 2020 (published November 2020)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 August 2020 (published October 2020)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 July 2020 (published September 2020)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 June 2020 (published August 2020)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 May 2020 (published July 2020)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 for April 2020 (published June 2020)
- Gambling business data on gambling during Covid-19 for March 2020 (published April 2020)
- Market overview - operator data to September 2022 (published November 2022)
- Market overview - operator data to June 2022 (published August 2022)
- Market overview - operator data to March 2022 (published May 2022)
- Market overview - operator data to Dec 2021 (published February 2022)
- Market overview - operator data July 2021 (published September 2021)
- Market overview - operator data June 2021 (published August 2021)
- Market overview - operator data May 2021 (published July 2021)
- Market overview - operator data April 2021 (published June 2021)
- Market overview - operator data March 2021 (published April 2021)
- Market overview - January and February 2021 (published March 2021)
- Market overview - operator data December 2020 (published February 2021)
- Market overview - operator data November 2020 (published January 2021)
- Market overview - operator data October 2020 (published December 2020)
- Market overview - operator data September 2020 (published November 2020)
- Market overview - operator data August 2020 (published October 2020)
- Market overview - operator data July 2020 (published September 2020)
Details
We issued this additional formal guidance on customer interaction to remote gambling operators on 12 May 2020, as a response to national lockdowns and changes to how consumers gambled during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Both the formal guidance for remote gambling operators in effect from October 2019 and this additional guidance ceased to be in effect from 11 September 2022. We provided an update on the timetable for implementation of new requirements and guidance for remote operators on 2 September 2022.
All licences, except non-remote lottery, gaming machine technical, gambling software and host licences.
- Licensees must interact with customers in a way which minimises the risk of customers experiencing harms associated with gambling. This must include:
- identifying customers who may be at risk of or experiencing harms associated with gambling.
- interacting with customers who may be at risk of or experiencing harms associated with gambling.
- understanding the impact of the interaction on the customer, and the effectiveness of the Licensee’s actions and approach.
- Licensees must take into account the Commission’s guidance on customer interaction. This guidance is issued further to the formal customer interaction guidance for remote operators of July 2019.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown, licensees should ensure they have the following measures implemented into their customer interaction framework for the purposes of preventing gambling related harm:
a) Reviews of all thresholds and triggers used to track vulnerability to ensure that they reflect changed financial circumstances that many consumers will be experiencing. An emphasis should be placed on those thresholds and triggers being proactively reset on a precautionary basis to ensure customers with emerging vulnerability, such as increased time spent at play or increased spend can be identified
b) Specifically, review your time indicators to capture play in excess of 1 hour as this is a proxy for potential harm.
c) Set additional or modify existing thresholds and triggers which are specific to new customers reflecting an operator’s lack of knowledge of that individual’s play and spend patterns.
d) Implement processes that ensure the continual monitoring of your customer base, identifying customers whose patterns of play, spend or behaviours have changed in the last few weeks.
e) Conduct affordability assessments for individuals picked up by existing or new thresholds and triggers which indicate consumers experiencing harm. Consider limiting or blocking further play until the checks have been concluded and supporting evidence obtained.
f) Prevent reverse withdrawal options for customers until further notice.
g) Stop bonus offers or promotions to customers displaying indicators of harm1
Knowing and identifying your customers at risk of or experiencing harm and acting early and quickly could help stop or prevent the harm worsening.
These measures will be kept under periodic review by the Commission and may be revised in response to changes in circumstance.
Notes
1 Part 2 of customer interaction guidance to remote operators (opens in new tab) July 2019
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