The United Kingdom’s Betting and Gaming Council has chosen the non-profit self-exclusion provider Gamstop to lead a single customer view trial. The trial will seek to identify bettors exposed to gambling harm risk and protect them from getting harmed further.
Single Customer View to Become a Reality
To make sure this will work, the BGC will invest as much as a million pounds ($1.35 million). The trial will make sure that problem gamblers are protected by all of Britain’s regulated gambling companies. Gamstop will be provided with customers’ data from their time with various operators to achieve this.
This way, problem gamblers will not be able to switch operators to avoid intervention. Furthermore, the data will provide an insight into risk-exposed bettors who spend money on numerous platforms.
The intervention will include safeguards being put in place for the less exposed customers and even bans for those at high-risk. Bans will bar gamblers from playing with any of the regulated operators. The trial is scheduled to take place before the end of March this year.
The single customer view trial was first promoted in 2020 when Neil McArthur, the chief executive officer of the BGC, suggested that a single customer view supported by the financial sector will benefit the gambling industry. Christ Philp, the minister who was responsible for gambling, approved of this concept. McArthur threw himself at work and spoke with the British licensees. The latter were supportive which helped the CEO continue his work.
At a later date, the Information Commissioner’s Office barred the implementation of the single customer view as it had concerns about the sharing of customer data. By October 2021, the office changed its opinion and supported the launch of the trial.
Wes Himes, the executive director for standards and innovation for the BGC is glad that the council will be able to proceed with the single customer view idea. He thanked all of the BGC members who contributed financially to this initiative.
Himes added that many companies applied to assist the BGC but Gamstop stood out as the obvious choice to conduct the trial thanks to its critically-acclaimed work in inhibiting the damages caused by problem gambling.
Himes said that the trial’s focus will be to help the most vulnerable of bettors.
“We are committed to ensuring the trial scheme which focuses on those most at risk is proportionate and effective. We are getting on with the work of change and once again, demonstrating that despite the challenges and complexities, when it comes to safer gambling, technology is our friend.”
BGC executive director Wes Himes
Gamstop is one of the best choices the BGC could have made in selecting who will run the trial. The company has been the self-exclusion platform of choice for many problem bettors and has received a myriad of praises for its hard work.
