Who should gambling operators call?
The Duty of Care in the Swedish Gambling Act stipulates that gambling operators should contact customers when problem gambling is suspected or identified. Gambling companies can reach out to players in various ways, and usually, making a duty of care call isn’t the first choice. However, if a customer doesn’t respond to other forms of contact or if the desired effect isn’t achieved, calling customers is an effective option.
In a research study with Norsk Tipping customers, care calls to big losers led to sustained reductions in gambling over one year.
So, who should we call?
Of course, there’s no clear-cut answer to that question; it depends on what you’ve allowed your customers to do and how well you know them and their situation. If we know that a customer has a lot to live on, we can assume that they can afford to lose more. At the same time that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have a gambling problem. Gambling has more potential negative consequences than just financial losses. It may lead to excessive time spent gambling, which can negatively impact your work or social life. Gambling can also have negative effects on our mental health.
So with that being said. These are the indicators/customers we would focus on:
Gambling behaviour
Losing a lot of money
Spending a lot of time on gambling
Accelerating their gambling (in terms of money and/or time)
New customers playing with high intensity
Signs of chasing losses
Vulnerable groups
Players in this group shouldn’t receive a care call solely because they belong to it. Instead, we suggest you view this group through a different lens, applying a lower tolerance for any indicators of at-risk gambling behaviour.
Age group 18-19 (limited financial resources and vulnerability due to young age)
Age group 20-25 (limited financial resources, vulnerability due to young age, gambling problems are most common in this age range)
Age group 65+ (limited financial resources and social isolation)
Contacts:
Customers’ contacts with customer service (customers who show signs of excessive gambling/problem gambling or seem disproportionately upset)
Close ones’ contacts with customer service
Other
Red and yellow self-assessment tests
Customers who return to play after a period of self-exclusion
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