Customers Concerned Over Launch of GamProtect Scheme

GamProtect was opened up this week to all operators but has already been in use for around 18 months at many of the biggest names in the industry. Entain, Flutter Entertainment, bet365, and William Hill are among the names already using the scheme.

Some people have accused the scheme of being a way for operators to limit customers who are winning regularly on these platforms, and customers are worried that their freedom to bet and participate in certain events may be limited.

The chairman of GamProtect, Kane Purdy, has refuted these claims.

The scheme allows participating operators to identify at-risk players based on one of five triggers:

• They have a gambling addiction
• They are seeking support or treatment for addiction
• They are at risk of harming themselves or others
• They shouldn’t gamble due to a health condition
• They want to stop gambling and self-exclude due to an addiction

After an interaction, the operator (gambling company) will share the customer’s details with GamProtect, and other customers can then check whether the same customer has an account with them, with the option to close the account.

Purdy explained that the scheme:

is independent, created and driven by the industry for the benefit of the most vulnerable customers and based on the highest standards of data protection. We believe we have delivered a solution that is simple, easy to understand and implement and can help prevent harm to those most vulnerable of customers”.

“For the first time under GamProtect, participating operators can confidently, compliantly and securely share information with other operators on customers who need the most support.”

He also went on to discuss the idea that a single customer view could be part of a problem for gamblers with a national database being mooted. “This is patently not the case,” he said.

Since going live back in 2023, there have been over 5,000 customers added to the scheme, and 163 of them have come out of the scheme as a result of not wanting to be involved.

Purdy explained that:

Evidentially this is not some Orwellian scheme to limit the rights and freedoms of most gamblers in this country. This is a scheme designed and built by the industry to help the most vulnerable.”

Tim Miller, the Gambling Commission executive director, welcomed the scheme and explained that it could be expanded in the future. The commission is happy with the scheme and the way it works. Miller explained:

At the commission we are really pleased with the progress that has been made to date, and we can also see the opportunity for it to expand, with more operators signing up, and the potential for it to continue to strengthen in the future, perhaps incorporating other serious markers of harm.”

This has given people more fuel for speculation that the scheme could potentially infringe on their freedom to play. Miller also explained that wider participation would be needed before any future development.

Kane Purdy also spoke about the markers of harm and the ways that people potentially show signs of problem gambling. There are numerous different ways that people can develop problems, and finding a way to spot them that works for everybody is not an easy task:

Markers of harm is a developing area but with such a diverse industry with different products, different customers and different demographics, to pigeonhole and say ‘this is a marker of harm which is universal across the industry’ is very, very difficult.”

Is GamProtect Working?

The ‘Single Customer View’ terminology has been discussed for over four years now and the Gambling Commission has been looking for ways to protect customers but also to protect their data.

The original goal set out was “ to reduce risk of harm by providing a holistic view of the risk of harm to consumers and for it to be delivered in a proportionate manner.” The data issue is one of many challenges that gambling companies face and staying in line with GDPR while still safeguarding players.

Early stages and implementation have seen a focus on self-reported markers of harm. People receive questionnaires and can answer questions about their gambling habits. Consumers may then be flagged as being at risk.

The number of people reporting issues has been relatively low, but the shared platform allows interventions from multiple companies to protect players and allow them to exclude far more easily.

Britain has a long history of a legal gambling industry and this means that people need to consider the protection of players and ask questions about whether people are being protected. The Gambling Commission is one part of this and they have numerous schemes regarding education. They are encouraging those who have not yet done so to engage with GamProtect and BGC to begin the onboarding process.