The Tricky Issue Of Problem Gambling

31 August 2017
ShareSave


Dearbail JordanBusiness reporter


For David Bradford, his gambling dependency had got as bad as it potentially could.


The 57 year-old remained in prison for fraud after stealing ₤ 50,000. His habit had cost his household their home and left them buried under ₤ 500,000 of financial obligation.


For 888. com, however, there was more to be had out of David Bradford.


While he sat in prison, his son Adam saw that the online betting company was sending adverts to his cellphone, at a cost of ₤ 5 a time.


Adam Bradford says: "After calling them six times and pleading with them, they turned off the text messages after almost ₤ 100 worth of charges."


Dr Carolyn Downs, senior lecturer at Lancaster University who is an expert on the gambling industry, estimates that there are around 500,000 individuals in the UK with a "extreme" addition.


"And for each of those individuals with severe problems, you're taking a look at four or five other relative being severely affected. Who possibly do not understand that their household member is a problem gambler till they lose your home," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.


Theft


On Thursday, 888 Holdings, which owns 888. com, was fined a record ₤ 7.8 m by the Gambling Commission for stopping working to secure thousands of susceptible consumers who had actually attempted to "self-exclude" themselves from their sites.


The regulator likewise punished 888 for stopping working to recognise problem behaviour that resulted in someone stealing ₤ 55,000 from their employer.


Sarah Harrison, chief executive of the regulator, said: "Messages like this send out a strong signal to business like 888 and every gambling operator that the Gambling Commission will take difficult action against business who do not meet the rules."


However, the Gambling Commission would not have understood about any of these problems had 888 Holdings not advance in the first location.


In the regulator's public declaration on the matter, it states that it was 888 Holdings who notified the commission about the technical issue on 28 February 2017.


Asked how it ensures that gambling business are following a code of practice which needs them to put self-exclusion procedures in place as well as recognizing at threat consumers, the regulator, stated: "The commission carries out routine compliance activity in a number of ways.


"In addition, we sometimes act upon info from consumers or operators themselves that prompts us to bring out an investigation, as in this case."


Self-exclusion or deception?


In 888's case, the fault lay with a technical issue.


Customers with acknowledged problems had actually efficiently blocked themselves from gambling on the poker, gambling establishment and sports sites.


But they still had access to the bingo sites.


However, even with this loophole now closed, there stays a broader industry problem with self-exclusion, says Dr Downs.


She said: "It was difficult to do with online betting, even to discover a put on a site to in fact go to tell them you desire to self-exclude ... it on a regular basis needs a terrible great deal of clicks with a mouse around the website to find a place."


And just since an individual is excluded from one methods of gambling, it does not provide any protection against other methods.


In some instances, self-exclusion is simply farcical.


Tony Franklin, a recuperating gaming addict and a campaigner, says: "Self-exclusion from wagering shops is paper-based so they are reliant on you offering a picture of yourself. Then, it might just be circulated to a little number of betting stores in the area."


It is really easy to go to another town to bet, he states, and it is very hard for individuals operating in bookies to police their consumers.


Dr Downs proposed a nationwide register for self-exclusion: "The Gambling Commission could run this," she states: "If you wished to self-exclude you would send your information off on a simple type to the Gambling Commission and they would let everybody understand your e-mail address."


But she includes: "I don't believe there's any sort of will for that action. Problem bettors supply many of the revenue for the gaming market which's truly quite well known."


The Gambling Commission says the industry is dealing with a national "online multi-operator self-exclusion plan" which it is aims to have in location by 2018.


At the minute, customers must to each private website to ask the company not to enable them to bet. The commission says: "The new scheme will enable customers to self-exclude from all online licensed betting operators through one web website."


GAMSTOP, as it is called, will be run by the Remote Gambling Association (RGA), a group whose members are online gaming companies.


Adam Bradford concerns the wisdom of this. "It resembles asking a policeman to apprehend himself for a criminal offense."


Clive Hawkswood, president of the RGA, denies that there is a conflict of interest. "On the contrary it is quite in our interests and our aim is to make it as great as any system in the world," he states.


The Gambling Commission says: "We consider an industry-led and managed solution is finest positioned to deliver an effective and effective plan by building, in particular, on the core experience and competence in the industry of establishing and supervising big IT options, as well as administering current self-exclusion schemes."


Mr Franklin thinks betting business need to take stronger action before enabling individuals to bet, such as conducting a price check on prospective consumers.


This, he thinks, should be contracted out to a 3rd party such as credit inspecting company Experian.


Liberalising problems


At the moment, however, Mr Franklin says people will stay susceptible to an industry whose primary objective is to generate income.


Dr Downs states: "I believe legislation is absolutely the only response. I think when we liberalised the gaming market - as was anticipated by a number of people at the time - we liberalised a lot more problem bettors."


For Mr Franklin, he states: "Never again. Not ever will I offer one more pound to these people."


888 Holdings decreased to discuss specific cases. Its action to the action taken by the Gambling Commission can be accessed here.