How is safer gambling promoted at retail betting shops?
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It's Safer Gambling Week. The industry's initiatives during the week are wide-reaching. Betting shops are still on almost every high street in the UK.
The industry has lost the fight over stake limits at fixed-odds betting terminals. The industry argues that the tools available online to monitor and prevent harm mean stake limit restrictions are not needed. The solution to harmful gambling usually involves technology.
Entain and Flutter offer tools to prevent harm at retail betting shops. The tools are similar to those available online. William Hill made 200,771 safer gambling interactions online in 2019. In retail, it made 33,789. The retail sector accounts for 39% of revenue. Some solutions are harder to enforce in the retail industry. Self-exclusion schemes are also difficult to implement. A BBC investigation found that some customers self-cluded from retail operators, only to be allowed to enter shops and place bets. It's generally true that online is responsible for many more interactions.
In-shop staff in retail betting shops have more responsibility than in a standard retail job. Operators have made an effort to ensure that all staff are adequately trained. In-store touchpoints are used to promote safer gambling. GambleAware report on the integration of safer betting into business practices notes these opportunities. It also mentions the use of in- store touch points to remind customers to think more about their activity. The report is published during Safer Gambling Week. For more information, visit the Safier Gifting Week website.
William Hill launched its first digital-only shop in Leeds last week. Entain takes many data-led steps to tackle harm in retail betting. Data and digitisation will probably offer a complete solution to the risk of players slipping through the cracks in the retail gambling industry. But the industry needs a solution soon. The answer may come from above. or it may be less targeted. iReport.com: What do you think about the future of retail gaming?
