A new gambling therapy could soon be launched in Australia to curb addiction to iGaming. The “graded exposure cue therapy”, developed by researchers in South Australia, works by minimizing sensitivity to signals and triggers that keep players hooked on betting.
Therapy Helps Customers to “De-Condition” Themselves
The new gaming addiction therapy specifically targets the addiction risks posed by mobile phone betting. According to Flinders University behavioral therapist Ben Riley, who also serves as a clinician at the Statewide Gambling Therapy Service, the therapy will teach people to “de-condition themselves” to all gambling cues.
Gambling operators make use of advertising and phone notifications to entice customers to gamble and keep them playing. The triggers make it difficult for players to resist temptation and make rational decisions, putting them at an increased risk of developing a gambling addiction. The cue-based therapy addresses that by educating consumers about the negative impact of being constantly exposed to such triggers.
The therapy will guide people on monitoring and controlling the amounts of stimulus they allow themselves to see and receive, thereby helping them to resist the urge to gamble.
Trial Ongoing
The therapy’s first phase of trial involved six problem gamblers and it was successful. The trial has now been expanded to 40 participants. Riley said they plan to make the therapy initially available via online or telehealth before launching it nationally to reach as many people as possible.
The number of Brits contacting GamCare’s National Gambling Helpline increased to 42,070 for the 2021/22 period, according to the charity’s latest annual report. This is the highest figure that the charity has reported since the service was launched more than 20 years ago.
Increase in Calls Mainly Due to Continuing Uncertainty
According to GamCare, the increase in helpline calls was mainly brought about by rising costs of living, post-pandemic challenges, economic instability, and the current political uncertainty in the UK.
The latest report from the independent charity shows that 62% of those who called the helpline encountered financial difficulties due to gambling, with 57% stating their debts were piling up. Most of the helpline users (64%) stated chasing losses as their primary reason for gambling.
GamCare Highlights Rising Demand for Gambling Support Services
Meanwhile, GamCare saw a slight decline in the number of people accessing treatment, with the figure dropping to 9,728.
But overall, demand for the charity’s support services is increasing, as highlighted by GamCare CEO Anna Hemmings. In response, the organization launched additional programs to offer a more diverse range of support for those struggling with gambling harm.
Among them is the “Way Forward” program announced this year which specifically caters to women gamblers. The charity is also offering online gambling companies a package that will enable them to directly transfer at-risk customers to the National Gambling Helpline.
Kindred Group is donating two football shirt sponsorships to Safer Gambling Week which runs from October 17 to October 23. Safer Gambling Week is an annual event spearheaded by the Betting and Gaming Council. The initiative, which was launched in 2017, aims to encourage conversation around safer gambling.
Kindred Highlights “Zero % Mission” on Safer Gambling Week
Middlesbrough and Rangers FC will wear shirts with the “Zero % Mission” logo at the front during their matches that fall on Safer Gambling Week. Normally, the shirt bears the logos of Kindred’s flagship brands Unibet and 32Red. Starting today until the 23rd, it will instead highlight Kindred’s commitment to eliminating harmful gambling as part of Safer Gambling Week.
Middlesbrough players will be wearing the personalized shirts during their scheduled match with Wigan Athletic (October 19) and Huddersfield Town (October 22). The Rangers will wear the shirts when they take on Dundee United during their final game at the Scottish League Cup on October 19.
What is Zero % Mission?
Kindred’s “Zero % Mission” is a campaign that aims to achieve zero revenue from harmful gambling by the end of 2023. Kindred began the campaign in 2020 and took things up a notch a year later when it became the first operator to publicize the percentage of revenue it obtains from players with gambling issues.
In April 2022, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) introduced new requirements under its Social Responsibility Code to make sure online gambling operators provide stronger protection to customers at risk of gambling harm.
While most of the new rules came into effect on September 12, 2022 as planned, the UKGC decided to delay the implementation of a few other requirements, such as the need for online gambling businesses to provide a “hot” transfer into support services whenever they encounter customers showing signs of gambling harm.
GamCare Offering “Hot” Transfer Service to Remote Operators
Remote operators may now begin setting up that new resource by signing up for GamCare’s new Helpline Transfer Service. The independent charity is offering operators a package that will allow them to transfer customers found at risk of gambling harm directly to the GamCare-operated National Gambling Helpline through a dedicated line.
On top of that, the charity will also train customer service teams on how to conduct seamless call transfers to the helpline. The charity will also provide operators with regular updates on the outcome of call transfers. Online gambling companies will be charged an annual license fee to avail of the service.
Outstanding Requirements to be Implemented by Feb. 2023
GamCare said the service will make sure that customers receive the right amount of help and support at the right time. The UKGC is set to implement the remaining requirements of its updated Social Responsibility Code by February 2023.
The Belgium Gambling Commission (BGC) is expanding its Excluded Persons Information System (EPIS) to include betting shops. This means that the country’s self-exclusion program will now cover all gambling verticals.
EPIS to Cover Betting Shops
EPIS is an electronic system that keeps track of all excluded players. Customers whose names are present on the system are blocked from entering any physical gambling establishments or online gambling platforms. Players can voluntarily ask for their names to be listed on EPIS. The exclusion request may also come from a third party. Belgium treats the system as an important tool to fight gambling addiction.
The scheme was launched in 2004 and originally covered land-based casinos, online gambling websites, and slot machine arcades.
The latest move by the BGC to expand EPIS to retail betting comes following criticism from the country’s Supreme Court, the Belgian Council of State, which, in June 2022, determined that the gambling regulator did not have the authority to impose a minimum self-exclusion period of six months, especially as the self-exclusion scheme did not cover all forms of gambling.
New Gambling Restrictions on the Way
Belgium is set to implement new stringent restrictions on gambling starting October 20, 2022, including lowering the weekly deposit limits from €500 to just €200. Operators will also be barred from promoting bonuses as player incentives.