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The Gambling Commission will listen to the views of regular gamblers as it relaunches its consumer project, but critics of the regulator’s research remain unconvinced.
The newly revamped Consumer Voice project is the second round of research into the opinions of people who use gambling products, after what the commission viewed as a successful initial version of the programme.
This new round of surveys will involve an expanded number of research partners, with four organisations contracted to conduct consumer research on behalf of the regulator.
Yonder Consulting, the Behavioural Insights Team, Humankind Research and Savanta have been selected for two-year contracts with the potential to extend through 2029.
The announcement offers no specifics on what research this quartet will engage in, but the commission says the studies will align with its 2023-2026 evidence gaps report.
The six areas listed where the regulator felt it was lacking data are:
- Early gambling experiences and gateway products.
- The range and variability of gambling experiences.
- Gambling-related harms and vulnerability.
- The impact of operator practices.
- Product characteristics and risk.
- Illegal gambling and crime.
“This new framework gives us greater agility and reach than ever before,” said the regulator’s head of research, Laura Carter.
"With these four partners, we’re better equipped to commission high-quality research quickly and use a range of approaches to respond to emerging trends or risks as they develop.
“The Consumer Voice programme is central to our efforts to ensure our decisions are grounded in the lived experiences of all consumers and the evolving realities of gambling.”
But at least one previous critic of the commission’s research practices is sceptical that the programme will deliver robust results.
“In recent years - and it has not always been this way - the Gambling Commission has adopted a rather slanted approach to research and data collection,” said Dan Waugh, a consultant with Regulus Partners.
“Research, in a scientific sense, involves a process of inquiry, with the aim of creating better understanding. The Gambling Commission explicitly uses research to gather 'evidence', which is not the same thing,” he said.
Some in the industry have also accused the regulator of over-relying on the views of those suffering from gambling harm when polling consumers, or of commissioning research from those with an anti-gambling agenda.
“The commission has funded some truly atrocious research through the regulatory settlement regime - including a number of overtly activist projects - but has persistently refused to accept responsibility,” said Waugh.
“In this way, it routinely interprets (and often misinterprets) research in support of a predetermined agenda.”
The Gambling Commission has rejected that criticism in the past and says that its new consumer voice project will capture the insights and experiences of all gamblers on a broad range of topics.
Recent high-profile regulatory changes give some clues as to how the consumer voice outputs may be used.
The commission says that its first, more slimline, version of the programme informed several pivotal changes to UK gambling regulations.
These include restrictions on bonuses that limit high wagering requirements and a ban on mixing product types in promotional offers, as well as the introduction of rules to make it easier for gamblers to set financial limits.
Crucially, consumer voice results were also used to inform the controversial consultation on financial vulnerability, part of which is still yet to be deployed as a pilot of financial risk assessments continues.
Regardless of its past uses, commentators suspicious of the Gambling Commission’s motives remain wary of this new batch of surveys.
“In certain situations, the Commission has lost the capacity for objective consideration,” claims Waugh.
“We must hope that the Consumer Voice programme will see a return to honest inquiry rather than the activism of recent years, which ill befits a statutory regulator.”
