Putting the right information in front of gamblers is only half the job. New research published by the UK Gambling Commission suggests that pace of play, product design and a player's emotional state can all stand between the information on offer and a genuinely informed decision.
Key takeaways
- Study by the Behavioural Insights Team under the UKGC's Consumer Voice Programme
- A persistent gap exists between information being available and players being able to find, understand and use it
- Consumers accept personal responsibility before play, but want more operator intervention during fast, immersive play
- Personalised alerts cut through better than generic messages — but raise data-use concerns
- The Commission will use the findings to build a consumer-led definition of informed choice
How the Research Was Carried Out
The Behavioural Insights Team delivered the project as part of the Commission's Consumer Voice Programme. Researchers reviewed 53 sources, then ran three deliberative focus groups and four in-depth interviews with players regarded as being at higher risk of gambling harm. The findings were mapped against the regulator's Path to Play framework.
Participants broadly saw the Commission's existing approach — built around fair gambling, transparent rules and an expectation that operators make clear information readily available — as a sensible foundation. The problem, the study found, is a recurring disconnect between information simply existing and consumers being able to locate it, make sense of it and act on it at the moment a decision is made.
Where Availability Falls Short
Information can fail to support a real choice when players find it hard to interpret. Participants described safer gambling tools that took too much effort to track down, and relevant details that surfaced only once they were already deeply absorbed in a fast-moving product.
Players also come to gambling with very different levels of knowledge and experience. The consumer-led approach proposed in the report therefore puts greater emphasis on understanding throughout play. Rules, odds, game mechanics, costs and risks would be given the same prominence as promotions and rewards, and information and support would need to adapt to a person's experience and capability as their circumstances change.
"The concept of 'informed choice' is a key tenet of consumer protection and rights law, and at a basic level, it means giving the consumer the right information at the right time in a way they understand so they can make a genuine decision."
— Donna Bateman, Strategy Manager, UK Gambling Commission
Bateman added that while many of the factors behind informed choice are already well understood, the Commission wanted a deeper picture of what the concept means for gambling consumers, both in theory and in practice.
Responsibility Shifts as Play Speeds Up
The study also looked at who consumers believe should carry responsibility for informed decisions. Participants favoured a shared model, but their expectations moved depending on the stage of gambling. Before play began, they were more willing to accept personal responsibility — provided operators made the relevant information visible and easy to access.
Once play became faster or more immersive, support for operator intervention grew. The report pointed to pop-ups and comprehension checks as possible tools, alongside personalised alerts triggered by changes in an individual's gambling behaviour. Generic messages were easy to tune out, while information tied to a player's own activity was far more likely to get noticed.
The Data Dilemma
That appetite for personalised support brought its own tension. Some participants wanted operators to use behavioural data to spot shifts in play and deliver timely warnings, yet some of the same people questioned the commercial motives behind collecting that data. The report noted that the technology capable of powering protective interventions can just as easily support targeted marketing.
Needs also varied by product. Sports bettors were mainly concerned with whether a bet was accurate and feasible, whereas casino players expressed a stronger need for clear explanations during immersive sessions. Across the board, the timing of information influenced whether it was used, and its presentation affected how well it was understood.
Existing Protections Are Hard to Find
Several of the concerns participants raised were already addressed by existing safeguards — a sign, according to the report, that those protections remain poorly understood or difficult to locate. Raising awareness of what is available, and making sure consumers understand how the tools actually work, still needs attention.
Towards a Consumer-Led Definition
The Commission intends to draw on the findings as it develops a consumer-led definition of informed choice. The proposed baseline frames informed choice as a consumer's ongoing ability to understand and act on relevant information at every stage of play — recognising that this ability can change once gambling starts, and placing more weight on whether information stays usable as circumstances evolve.
"The Behavioural Insights Team's report, which forms part of our Consumer Voice programme of research, shows the complexities of 'informed choice' as a concept. It provides useful insights for all stakeholders into consumer experiences and their expectations, and how changes could be made to enhance decision-making processes for consumers."
— Donna Bateman, Strategy Manager, UK Gambling Commission
As a next step, the report recommends further behavioural mapping to turn informed choice into observable, measurable indicators. That work would define the outcomes that show informed choice is being achieved, pinpoint the behaviours that support those outcomes and examine the barriers that prevent consumers from understanding or acting on information — giving the Commission an evidence base to test future approaches.
