In a blog published on the 888 site in collaboration with Marck McCaffrey, William Hill Head of Compliance Policy, Retail & Sportsbook, the respective brands have reflected on Safer Gambling Week.
Focusing on safer gambling in retail, the blog introduced the differences that in-person safeguarding can offer.
Most importantly, as staff physically interact with customers, they have the opportunity to pick up on subtle changes.
To support this, William Hill introduced a new system that staff can use to report changes in customer behaviour, such as changes in spending, visits or time spent gambling.
This acts as a much earlier, more personal warning system that online operators may not be able to pick up on as easily.
As part of this, staff can also note down customer interactions and decisions in an updated system.
The operator also introduced a new affordability approach, which allowed staff to initiate conversations with customers to make sure they’re only playing in a sustainable manner.
Looking forward, there were a few things introduced that customers can expect to see introduced in 2024.
The first of these are new technology-driven solutions that can be used to identify markers against a harm model, which will be used to support staff decisions.
To develop a new training programme, 888 also partnered with BetKnowMore for its Cluster Operations Managers (COMSs).
Meanwhile, BetMGM has conducted research that suggests "over half of UK gamblers view the money in their accounts with betting websites as different to the money in their bank account."
BetMGM's key findings include:
- 51% of UK gamblers view the money in their gambling accounts as different from that in their bank accounts
- 92% of players 18-24 put monetary restrictions on their gambling
- 46% put money won from gambling into their savings
- 26% use gambling winnings to place another bet straight away
- 19% always or usually chase their gambling losses
