Responsible Gaming Month: The Role of Operators to Promote Industry Best Practices
Responsible gaming assumes a central role in the operations of sports, betting, fantasy, and iGaming apps. Are you ahead of regulatory laws to help ensure that your customers are in a safe place to gamble?
Responsible Gaming Practices
It’s your responsibility to protect your customers and you must deliver a gaming experience that exceeds regulatory requirements to ensure your customers enjoy a trusted gaming experience with robust protections. There are many responsible gaming programs and tools to help your customers wager responsibly.
Being Committed to Responsible Gaming
A comprehensive approach to awareness requires consideration from both internal and external perspectives. Your product vision and employee conduct must be actively living out a commitment to responsible gaming and helping customers play responsibly.
The top companies in the industry invest time and money to equip their employees with the skills and resources essential to support their customers. It is imperative that all staff members undergo responsible gaming training. Here are some areas for your team to focus on:
- Recognition of Problem Gaming Signs: Employees should be well-versed in identifying indications of compulsive and problematic gambling behaviors among patrons.
- Effective Communication on Gambling Disorders: Equipping employees with the necessary skills and techniques to engage patrons in conversations about gambling disorders is essential.
- Guidance on Responsible Gaming Features: Employees should be knowledgeable about the responsible gaming features available through the online wagering platform, enabling them to effectively guide patrons in utilizing these tools.
- State’s Voluntary Exclusion Program: Staff members should be informed about the state’s voluntary exclusion program and how it operates, enabling them to offer relevant information to patrons when necessary.
- Access to Treatment Resources: Employees should be capable of directing patrons to accessible treatment resources within their jurisdiction, demonstrating a commitment to supporting those in need of assistance.
This multifaceted training approach ensures that both internal and external stakeholders are well-informed and equipped to foster responsible gaming practices within the organization and provide valuable support to patrons in their pursuit of responsible gaming. There are excellent data and artificial intelligence resources available to employees to support customers in playing responsibly in addition to refreshing employee training and internal communications.
Combating Problem Gambling
Regulatory authorities have put it in the hands of the operators to formulate comprehensive internal responsible gaming strategies that explicitly describe the measures they intend to adopt to address issues related to problem gambling within their platforms.
The gaming industry continues to significantly contribute to responsible gaming research to develop effective policies and programs. Investing in research and partnering with advocacy groups to advance responsibility efforts is starting to become the norm.
The public is increasing its demands for businesses to provide greater transparency, accountability, and engagement in responding to critical social and environmental priorities. Gaming industry stakeholders are looking at our industry’s performance on these issues and holding us accountable for progress.
Customer Service
Customer service often serves as the first line of defense in addressing problem gambling. They have direct contact with patrons and real-time access to patron account data. A well-trained customer support team proves to be the most effective means of addressing problem gambling, as they can directly engage with individuals who may be facing difficulties. It is crucial to acknowledge that the longer an operator delays responding to a patron displaying signs of problem gambling, the less effective the response becomes.
Customer service personnel should have well-defined protocols in place to guide their actions in specific situations. For instance, if a customer expresses concerns about addiction risks, seeks information about player protection, views gambling as an alternative to work, or exhibits unusually high emotional, temporal, or financial involvement, customer service staff should promptly direct the individual to available responsible gaming resources both within the platform and externally.
Marketing
From a marketing perspective, in addition to the required helpline in advertisements, materials should also be reviewed to ensure the company does not promote irresponsible or excessive participation in gambling or suggest that social, financial, or personal success is guaranteed by engaging in gambling. Additionally, ads should never be displayed in a manner that targets or specifically appeals to individuals under twenty-one years old or in venues where most of the audience at events will be under 21 years of age.
Conclusion
As regulatory expectations continue to evolve, operators are confronted with the obligation of developing comprehensive strategies to address problem gambling. This paradigm shift necessitates a dual focus on internal and external awareness, with staff education on the identification and support of patrons with gambling disorders standing at the forefront. Additionally, adherence to responsible marketing practices and intuitive system design that swiftly provides resources to individuals in need can significantly increase the effectiveness of interventions.
During Responsible Gaming Month, it’s critical that you are mindful of the best practices and policies. Through proactive monitoring and insightful analysis of customer behaviors, operators can reach out to those displaying signs of problematic gambling, guided by clear procedures for timely and appropriate responses. By embracing this holistic approach, the industry underscores its commitment to fostering a safer and more responsible gaming environment for all stakeholders.
Here at Locker Room Labs, responsible gaming is one of the many ways that we stay ahead of industry trends.
If you’re ready to build an app that follows responsible gaming best practices, Let’s talk.
