1.
Responsible gambling and
consumer protection
Taivo Põrk
29.09.2015

2.
• No agreed definition for “responsible
gambling” exists;
• The same is true for “problem gambling”;
• Gambling Disorder (GD; DSM-5) is defined
as “persistent gambling behaviour leading
to clinically significant impairment or
distress” and diagnosed clinically (9
criteria) and may be classified as mild,
moderate or severe.

3.
• All operators, both public and private, need
to deal with a conflict of interest between
seeking profit and protecting gamblers
from harm. Applies to regulators too, to an
extent;
• Recreational activity vs social health
problem;
• Individual freedom vs social control

4.
Goals of “responsible” gambling policy
• Prevention of criminal gambling business
• (e.g. fraud);
• Prevention of underage gambling and
underage exposure;
• Prevention of gambling disorders;
• Protection of subjects with gambling
disorders;
• Prevention of severe financial losses?

5.
Proportion of use disorders among users

6.
• Stages of gambling: risky use -> harmful use ->
either reduction/cessation or chronic relapses.
• Transition to risky gambling: caused mainly by
environmental determinants (access, advertising,
peer relations)
• Transition to harmful gambling: caused mainly by
individual vulnerability determinants
(neurobiology, cognitive control)
• Role of gambling determinants unclear, likely
relevant in interaction with individual
vulnerability determinants

7.
Estonia
- Population: ~1.3 million;
- 16 licensed gambling operators (13 licenses for games of chance,
7 for betting, 1 for skill games, 1 for lottery);
- ~60 gaming locations (casinos, arcades), ~2200 slot machines
- (down from ~170/5000+ in 2007);
- In 2014, 59% of population between 15-74 reported having
been at least occasionally engaged in gambling. 15% said they
have gambled online. “Within last 2 years”, 48% and 12%
respectively,
- Addiction risk group is 3,6%. 0,7% are probably pathological
gamblers.
7

8.
Regulations
(1) Marketing
• Clear "no underage gambling" message;
• No youth-related contents, motivations, images
and campaigns;
• Ban in youth related locations, publications and
websites

9.
•Objective information: chances for
winning and losses, risks, possible negative
consequences, support options;
•No unrealistic promises for winnings or
as alternative to earned income;
•No images, messages and campaigns
associating gambling with social prestige,
personal success or attractiveness;
•Transparent sponsor information

10.
(2) Casino distance/spread/availabilty
regulations
• Licensing;
• Blocking illegal websites/transactions
(3) Player identification and verification, age
controls

11.
(4) Gambling-related
• Information on gambling procedures,
stakes, changes for winnings and losses,
regular visual feedback on play statistics;
• Options of self-imposing deposit limits,
stop-loss limits;
• Self-exclusion;
• No credits;
• Forced random breaks?
(5) Staff training (risks, indicators,
intervention)

12.
Responsibilities
Regulatory authority
• To define and control protection measures
• To monitor core gambling parameters (stakes, wins, losses,
complaints, self- and provider-based exclusion, hotlines,
treatment, prevalence figures)
• To test gambling and marketing regulations
Operators
• To implement protection measures
• To provide statistical figures and gambling related facts
Consumer
• To be “Informed Consumers” (procedures, risks, help lines,
treatment opportunities)

13.
Credits
• Heavily relied on presentation by Dr
Gerhard Bühringen “Prevention of
Gambling Disorders:
Implications for Consumer Protection from
ALICE RAP” on 18.09.2015 at 12th EGGS
meeting

14.
Thank you for your
attention!