All Things Gambling: The value of research in dealing with gambling problems

In our latest episode of the All Things Gambling webinar series, we sit down with Betknowmore Head of External Affairs for UK Matt Smith who walks us through this delicate issue. Smith is a well-seasoned veteran in this vertical, having spent eight years in and around gambling, and having lived experiences to share as well.

His continued recovery is not only an inspiration for others, but an intimate insight into what needs to be done to help ensure that players are safe. The conversation pivots around such aspects of the industry as its overall change in standards, the importance of regulations in ensuring that people are protected, and how research can have an impactful role to play here.

Smith talks about how Betknowmore has used research in particular to make a real, measurable change to consumer safety, citing the New Beginnings program which was originally borne out of research that the organization commissioned.

Similarly, Smith argues that Betknowmore has been a critical friend to the industry and did not mean to malign partners or industry stakeholders, but only leverage the organization’s cumulative experience to help steer player safety standards for the better.

He also argues that operators have a real commercial incentive to work closely with Betknowmore and raise standards in the industry. Smith cites an example where a player leaves an operator because of harmful gambling practices, and that operator never knows why a customer left, but Betknowmore does, which is all the more reason for industry stakeholders to follow the advice offered by the charity in building safer, sustainable, and responsible practices in gaming.

The full conversation with Smith is a delight as it is insightful, and you should not miss out on watching it in its entirety.

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