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Exclusive interview with the Gambling Commission: Britain's most ambitious ever survey of gambling behaviour

 
Exclusive interview with the Gambling Commission: Britain's most ambitious ever survey of gambling behaviour
Helen Bryce, Director of Statistics at the Gambling Commission, details exclusively for INFOPLAY how the new Gambling Survey for Great Britain, one of the largest in the world, will enable more in-depth data on gambling behaviour. With an innovative methodology and a sample size that will reach 20,000 participants annually, the research is set to be a key milestone in understanding attitudes towards gambling and its impact on British society.
Separate studies have shown that European countries that implement draconian gambling regulations experience an increase in unregulated gambling.
INFOPLAY |
Full Interview with Helen Bryce, Director of Statistics at the Gambling Commission
Interview conducted by Jacqueline Mecinas

J.M.: What was the main objective behind launching this new survey on gambling behavior?

Helen Bryce (H.B.):
As regulators of a complex sector, and to fulfill our legal duty to effectively advise the government, this new survey offers several benefits:

  • A robust and future-proof methodology, independently validated.
  • A larger sample size, providing greater analytical power.
  • Increased frequency in data collection and more timely reporting.
  • An updated questionnaire that reflects the current landscape of gambling.
  • The ability to make comparisons between England, Scotland, and Wales (for the first time since 2010), as well as regional comparisons.
  • A solid foundation for building upon, such as data linkage and longitudinal opportunities, along with adjustments to the questionnaire to keep it current.

J.M.: How does this survey differ from previous ones in terms of methodology and scope?

H.B.:
In terms of scope, the Gambling Survey for Great Britain will collect data from up to 20,000 people annually, significantly improving our analytical capacity (10,000 in the first year). This means it will be one of the largest surveys of its kind in the world.

Previously, the Commission used various methods to gather gambling data, such as health surveys conducted by each nation in the UK. The Health Survey for England, for instance, employs a face-to-face approach with a self-completion questionnaire for gambling questions. Scotland also uses a face-to-face method, while Wales employs a telephone and online survey. Additionally, the Commission conducted a quarterly telephone survey to track gambling behavior trends between health surveys, and an online survey for more specific topics.

The new Gambling Survey for Great Britain consolidates all these requirements into one study. The methodology utilizes a "push-to-web" approach, where selected households receive a letter inviting up to two adults from the household to participate in the online survey. For those without internet access or who prefer an offline method, a paper questionnaire is also provided.

The survey has been independently reviewed by Professor Sturgis from the London School of Economics, who concluded that given the changing survey landscape and the need to better detect and understand trends in gambling behavior, the shift to this new methodology was the right decision.

J.M.: How do you ensure that the sample is representative of the general population of Great Britain?

H.B.:
We use a stratified random sample of addresses, following best practices to ensure that the survey is nationally representative. We utilize the Postal Address File (PAF), compiled by the postal service, which is publicly available and contains a list of all known addresses in the UK. Before selection, the PAF sample frame was stratified by country and region in England, local authority population density, and the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). This helps reduce sampling errors and ensures representativeness.

While we invite respondents to participate online, they also have the option to complete a paper version of the survey if they prefer.

J.M.: What are the most significant findings from the first annual report of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain?

H.B.:
As regulators, all the data from the survey are important to us. We encourage everyone interested in gambling research to read the full report, which breaks down responses into three themes: participation in gambling, experiences and motivations for gambling, and the consequences of gambling.

We have highlighted some key data within the report itself.

J.M.: What trends or patterns of gambling behavior have you identified?

H.B.:
The full report contains all the details of the trends, but the themes we highlight include participation in gambling, player experiences, and gambling-related consequences.

J.M.: How does the Commission plan to use this data to influence gambling regulation and policies?

H.B.:
This methodology is new, and it's too early to use it in isolation for regulatory or policy changes. Our current focus is on further developing the methodology so that over time it becomes an important part of the evidence base we use.

J.M.: Why are the results of this survey not directly comparable to previous surveys?

H.B.:
Due to differences in how data is collected for the Gambling Survey for Great Britain compared to previous gambling or health surveys, the results are not directly comparable and should not be used for direct comparisons to evaluate trends over time.

J.M.: How do you plan to minimize the negative impact of gambling on the population?

H.B.:
In recent years, we have focused on making gambling safer. We have banned gambling with credit cards, increased age and identity verification online, and strengthened customer interaction requirements. We have also mandated that operators participate in a national online self-exclusion scheme and introduced new rules to eliminate irresponsible practices with VIP customers.

In May, we announced new regulations that reduced the intensity of online games, improved consumer choice regarding receiving gambling-related marketing, tightened age verification controls, implemented light financial vulnerability checks, and introduced a pilot to explore financial risk assessments.

In addition to rule changes, we have taken a firm approach with operators who have not maintained gambling safety. Over the past three years, we have taken action against 46 operators, who have paid a total of £103.2 million in penalties.

We look forward to continuing to work with the new government to further our shared approach to making gambling safer, fairer, and crime-free.

J.M.: What changes or improvements are planned for the next edition of the survey?

H.B.:
Professor Sturgis made seven recommendations in his review. Recommendations 1 to 4 were considered the highest priority, while recommendations 5 to 7 are for long-term implementation.

We intend to hire an external provider to carry out recommendations 1 and 2 during 2024/25. We have already commissioned a study to assess the impact of the updated list of gambling activities on estimates of the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) and will share the results soon (recommendation 3).

We are working on the other recommendations and have published information on how we plan to address them, available on our website in the Survey Improvements section.

It's important to note that continuously reviewing and refining the methodology of a survey is a good practice in producing official statistics.

J.M.: How do you plan to increase participation in the survey to reach the goal of 20,000 responses next year?

H.B.:
Fieldwork for the 2023 annual report began mid-year, so the data for the first year is based on only 10,000 responses. Starting from year 2 (2024), fieldwork will be conducted continuously throughout the year to reach 20,000 responses. We are currently in the third phase of fieldwork for 2024.

J.M.: You mentioned that a guide has been published on how to interpret the survey data. Could you highlight the key points of this guide?

H.B.:
We want all users of the survey to read the complete guide. The most common misuse of the data so far has been that some people extrapolate the prevalence of problem gambling or gambling-related consequences to the entire population and make direct comparisons with results from previous gambling or health surveys. None of these actions should be taken for methodological reasons.
18+ | Juegoseguro.es – Jugarbien.es

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