RGA urges “good practice” with new guidelines
The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) has published a new set of guidelines to help online operators recognise problematic gambling behaviour.
The good practice guidelines draw on the experience of RGA members and other stakeholders, covering key areas such as operator policies, markers of harm, customer interactions, recording and reporting, staff training and evaluation.
Operators can use the new guide for assistance when developing or purchasing systems, allowing them to indentify problem behaviour and interact with such customers to address the issue.
The RG said: “Online gambling operators collect and retain a great deal of data about their customers; it is incumbent on them to use that information to combat crime and provide a safer gambling environment for their customers.”
Clive Hawkswood, the chief executive of the RGA, added: “It is important to recognise that data and behavioural analytics are not a silver bullet that will solve all of the problems associated with minimising gambling-related harm online.
“However, their effective use will increasingly prove vital when seeking to achieve that.
“The use of data in this way is still in its early days and whatever the industry does now will undoubtedly improve with the benefit of additional research and shared learning. In the meantime we have a collective responsibility to use what we do know, and can do, to the best effect.
“Although many operators already have systems that go far beyond what is described in these guidelines, we hope they will provide a cross-industry benchmark and a sound starting point.”
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