We know that people gamble for all sorts of reasons. Whether it’s for the adrenaline rush, to win money, or to escape from worries and stress, digital game play can provide a source of entertainment for consumers. But for some, gambling can quickly spiral out of control- especially in the case of those who are vulnerable.
The facts
In the UK alone, there are 430,000 problem gamblers, and there are 2 million customers who have been identified as being at risk. It’s also worth noting that it now takes just 12 seconds to log onto a digital device and place a bet.
As it’s become easier than ever to gamble online, vulnerable customers are inevitably on the rise. Studies have shown that problem gamblers frequently have coexisting mental health problems, and those with mental health issues tend to have a higher than average risk of engaging in problem gambling while unwell. This means vulnerable customers can find themselves more likely to be taking on debt they can’t afford.
Opportunities to evaluate interventions and increase understanding of what works in harm minimisation are being missed. Over £20 million financial penalties have been issued by the Gambling Commission for breaches where operators have failed to identify and act on harmful game play.
So how does this directly affect customers who are vulnerable?
Customer experiences
A vulnerable customer is someone who, due to their personal circumstances, is especially susceptible to harm. They are at greater risk when an organisation or operator fails to act with appropriate levels of care.
Meet two customers who have faced ongoing issues with problem gambling.
Meet Lucy
Lucy is a 27-year-old shop assistant. She has a young family and is struggling to make ends meet. She has taken out multiple payday loans in the last 3 months and is building up debt that is causing anxiety.
Meet Adam
Adam is a 19-year-old university student studying maths. Adam just started university in a new city and he’s living away from home for the first time, which has resulted in the development of mental health issues. He’s using his student loan to gamble online.
Identifying vulnerable customers
Both Lucy and Adam have not only found themselves struggling with financial hardship, but are also dealing with mental health issues. Their stories have been echoed countless times, demonstrating a clear need to not only identify customers who may be vulnerable, but offer protection against further harm.
At Rdentify, we know that customers matter. Their wellbeing is paramount, and should be taken seriously by gambling operators and the industry at large.
We also understand that problem gambling can be difficult to identify. If gambling habits are sporadic and are spread across a variety of agents and chats, common indicators may be missed by front line staff members. This results in vulnerable players going unnoticed, leading to severe consequences for both the customer and the operator alike.
It’s time to harness the power of smart technology to protect the wellbeing of susceptible customers, and futureproof operator reputation and commercial success.
The solution
The solution is our Rdentify platform, built by industry experts to protect your players.
Rdentify allows you to spot problem gamblers with increased accuracy, and flags early signs of self-exclusion and problem gambling. This will therefore increase compliance with Safer Gambling legislation, and reduce the likelihood of fines.
In turn, this protects customer wellbeing, and ensures that at-risk consumers are prevented from further gambling.
Our innovative technology uses seamless machine learning and linguistics research to identify behavioural and conversational patterns associated with vulnerable consumers- all in real time. With no data risk, this enhances your processes, lowers operational risk, and further demonstrates to regulators that you take the protection of your customers seriously.
The benefits
The benefits of our platform really do speak for themselves.
Rdentify provides a scalable natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning-based engine which flags end-user vulnerability risk during live chat interactions. Our platform seamlessly integrates with operators’ existing systems and outputs clear, actionable scores and advice in real time. This means that customer service agents can identify risks quickly, and interact with vulnerable customers accordingly. Customer service managers can then audit team live chats and emails to ensure that they are properly interactive with high risk customers.
As for compliance teams, our state-of-the-art technology helps evaluate your company’s responsible gaming performance to ensure regulatory requirements are met. This not only makes your business more efficient, but provides a better customer experience with wellbeing in mind.
It’s time to take social responsibility and accountability for at-risk consumers. The more we prioritise the wellbeing of gambling customers, the safer our industry becomes- for all parties involved.
If you’re ready to invest in customer wellbeing, why not book a free demo with our expert team today.
