David Clifton to chair Player Protection Forum on 22 May 2019

With ongoing calls from the Gambling Commission for greater collaboration between operators in all gambling sectors in order “to rebuild consumer and public trust, to build a future for this industry with strong foundations based upon fairness and safety”, the next conference from KnowNow – entitled “Player Protection Forum” and taking place in London on 22 May 2019 – is particularly timely.

David Clifton will be chairing this event, as is confirmed in a blog posted on the KnowNow website (that can also be downloaded below).

As mentioned in that blog, recent developments that are more than likely to feature during the Player Protection Forum include:

  1. The problem gambling statistics contained in the Gambling Commission’s “Gambling participation in 2018: behaviour, awareness and attitudes” Annual Report and “Young People and Gambling” Report 2018.
  2. Concerns arising from the 90% failure rate in tests regarding under-age play on pub gaming machines.
  3. The Commission’s current calls for evidence on gambling online with credit cards and Category B gaming machines.
  4. The Commission’s current consultation on customer interaction & ADR and call for evidence on gambling website blocking software.
  5. The recent development by Barclays and other banks of gambling spend blocking tools.
  6. The Commission’s recent call for greater transparency for customers, specifically in relation to the question “do they know who they’re participating against?”.
  7. The RGSB advice to the Commission in response to its consultation on the new National Responsible Gambling Strategy.
  8. The Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee Inquiry into links between gaming & gambling, loot boxes and eSports.
  9. The Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group inquiry into the harms caused by online gambling, launched in February.
  10. The crackdown on regulation of online gambling recently proposed by the Labour Party.
  11. The recently announced Howard League’s Commission on crime and problem gambling that will run for the next three years.
  12. New gambling advertising standards to protect under 18s coming into effect on 1 April 2019, the voluntary “whistle to whistle” sports betting advertising ban coming into force on 1 August 2019 and concerns arising from analysis showing that five times more is spent on gambling marketing online than on television
  13. Forthcoming changes to the protection of customer funds rating system coming into effect on 29 April 2019
  14. LCCP changes on age and identity verification for remote gambling coming into effect on 7 May 2019
  15. The Commission’s co-creation workshops on communicating safer gambling messagesand sharing best practice in use of data in identification of gambling related harm.
  16. A qualitative independent research report entitled “In control: How to support safer gambling using a behaviour change approach”published by the Senet Group, that examines gambling behaviours in the context of personal control.
  17. The teething problems encountered by GamStop during its ongoing initial set-up stage.
  18. The launch by GVC of a global responsible gambling campaign.
  19. The establishment of a Gambling Health Alliance intended to act as a signposting organisation to other resources relevant to preventing gambling related harm.
  20. The warning by Gambling Minister Mims Davies at the 6th annual Gamble Aware Harm Minimisation conference of a mandatory levy on licensed gambling operators to fund research, education and treatment of problem gambling.

Previous KnowNow conferences that we have attended have been excellent. We strongly urge all with an interest in addressing the issue of gambling-related harm to attend the Player Protection Forum on 22 May 2019 at Prospero House, 241 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1GA.

Registration details, as well as the agenda for the day, are available on the KnowNow website here. Any of our clients and contacts considering attending are invited to contact David for further information.

The following day (23 May 2019) at the same venue, KnowNow is holding a Player Protection Workshop, aimed at both remote and retail gambling operators, details of which can be found here.