Analyzing Consumer Protection for Gamblers Across Different Online Gambling Operators: A Replication Study.

Over the last decade, online gambling has been steadily increasing both in availability and in popularity. Player protection has been in the centre of gambling regulation, and various initiatives have been set in place by some online gambling companies in order to ensure responsible gambling and harm minimisation. The aim of the present exploratory study was to evaluate how online gambling operators protect and minimize harm for their consumers (i.e., their gambling clientele). In order to evaluate the responsible gambling initiatives aiding player protection, the 50 most advertised online gambling websites were examined in relation to their responsible gambling practices (including which responsible gambling tools the operator offered, the presence or absence of a responsible gambling page, problem gambling self-assessment test, age verification procedures, etc.). The findings demonstrated that although most operators engage in at least some responsible gambling practices, there is wide inconsistency amongst different online gambling operators. To evaluate customer service communication, one of the research team posed as a potential problem gambler and collated all verbatim interaction. Again, the findings demonstrated wide inconsistencies between online gambling operators. It is concluded that while some online gambling operators appear to be socially responsible, there are a number of areas where further improvement is needed (e.g., age verification, customer service feedback, direct marketing to players).