In recent weeks we’ve heard lobby and religious groups in particular tell us of the pitfalls of gambling. Since the announcement that the first Super Casino was to be introduced to the UK interested parties have had their say about gambling including online gaming. They say the country will implode, society will suffer as a result of increased gambling and the only winners will be the exchequer but is this actually the case?
Is it possible for online gambling in particular to be socially responsible and for those who play the games to get the information, help, guidance and advice they require before spending more than they possess?
Marc Wood, Managing Director of Wagerworks, the premier iGaming software supplier believes there’s no reason why social responsibility and online gambling can’t go hand in hand.
In a recent article he wrote: “The issue of social responsibility consists of two elements. Firstly; the behaviour, attitude and control that the Gaming Operator chooses to include as part of their proposition to the consumer. Secondly; the consumers themselves must assume an equal level of responsibility to be able to gamble within their means and be given the ability to control their spending.”
Yes but no one sets out to make a major loss or become an addict of sorts. So how does Mr Wood get around this one? He says “ WagerWorks addresses these issues by implementing a series of systematised controls within the casino and operational procedures to help players avoid getting into difficulties. The WagerWorks platform allows players to set parameters around how much they can deposit, stake and / or lose in a given period, as well as limiting the time they spend on their accounts, where players wish to increase their betting limits. WagerWorks imposes a cooling off period until that request takes effect. “
“Further control is made through players’ regular banking facilities as they are restricted to the funds they have available. Players are only able to use one payment method at a time and the system can track the number of payment types a player has registered over a period of time. This gives the operator a further indication of where a potential problem may occur.”
Meanwhile Casino Fortune which has land and online services is proactively training staff to watch out for signs of gambling problems. “While we recognize our employees are not trained counselors, Casino Fortune feels that encouraging employee awareness puts employees at a comfort level, helps them understand the company's position on the issue, and supplies them with valuable information and direction to help compulsive/problem gamblers” says CEO John Wallis.
However attempting to help those who have gone too far doesn’t answer our question as to whether or not online gambling is socially responsible. Rather it acts as a reminder that some players don’t know when to stop and perhaps some sites don’t want to stop them.
Mark Wood of Wagerworks concluded “the online Gaming Industry suffers from a reputation that is set by edge cases in terms of dubious operators, a small percentage of consumers that get in over their heads and wildly varying statistics as to the scale of any problems. A small cadre of reputable companies are leading the charge to ensure that consumers, industry and government understand that socially responsible online gaming is a reality today, if you know who you are gaming with.”
