A four-way four-year research project sees Playtech, Holland Casino, Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Amsterdam unite to enhance personalised online responsible gambling solutions.
Titled ‘A Safe Bet: design and evaluation of a player-tailored online responsible gambling promotion framework,’ the Dutch academic institutes are to be charged with developing and evaluating new tools for online responsible gambling.
Research lead Marilisa Boffo, Assistant Professor in clinical psychology and eHealth at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, said: “Promoting and supporting safe gambling practices is something that can have a positive impact for all individuals who decide to gamble, and can contribute to the prevention of more problematic patterns of gambling behaviour.
“However, the scientific world cannot do it alone. By collaborating with industry, we can use data we would otherwise not have access to.
“Moreover, we can ensure scientific method and knowledge are embedded in the design, development, and evaluation of mandatory safety measures that gambling operators must use to protect gamblers. In this way, society benefits most from our findings.”
The project is based on the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and resources, and will build a comprehensive responsible gambling framework to examine how best to tailor tools to customers’ individual needs, risk levels and behaviour patterns.
The unity will see scientists designed and evaluate evidence-based interventions and tools in a live setting in what the quartet hope will prove to be “a hugely significant milestone”.
Malinda Miener, Chief Compliance Officer of Holland Casino, commented: “Responsible gambling is essential for us: without it, we would not be able to operate.
“Through our joint efforts we can develop new responsible gambling tools which are based on data and science. This is important because it makes our policies and tools on prevention better.
“As an online gambling operator, we see it as our duty to prevent players from becoming problem players – we don’t want to earn money from them. With scientific data on our side, we can make sure we use the right intervention at the right time for the right player.”
The research team has applied for the International Centre for Responsible Gaming centre of excellence grant in support of the project. Additional funding for the project is mutually co-financed by Playtech and Holland Casino.
Shimon Akad, COO at Playtech, explained: “We are investing in data analytics and digital solutions to promote responsible gambling and deliver solutions to reduce gambling-related harm.
“While there are already tools to help customers gamble safely, we want to significantly improve the effectiveness and use of these tools amongst customers. We believe the best way to achieve this goal is to work collaboratively with academic experts who can identify and evaluate new approaches based on scientific theory.
“The goal of this research collaboration is to develop a range of effective tools and interventions that can be shared with all stakeholders and adopted by industry and regulators globally.”
