{"id":161775,"date":"2023-11-27T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T08:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=161775"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:04","slug":"online-gambling-is-legal-now-but-how-do-you-prevent-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/11\/27\/online-gambling-is-legal-now-but-how-do-you-prevent-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Online gambling is legal now, but how do you prevent addiction?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How do you prevent online gamblers from developing a gambling problem? This is the difficult question that assistant professor Marilisa Boffo was confronted with when online gambling was legalised in the Netherlands two years ago. It prompted her to set up a collaborative research project with gambling companies Holland Casino Online and Playtech.<\/p>\n

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Boffo specialises in clinical psychology and eHealth and has been studying various types of addiction, including gambling addiction, for some time now. Following the legalisation of online gambling, she reached out to gamblers to try to get them involved in her research, but this proved difficult. \u201cThere\u2019s quite a stigma attached to gambling, so gamblers are reluctant to seek help. In addition, they\u2019re often unaware of the risks and loath to take part in research\u201d, Boffo says, summing up the problems she encountered. As a result, appeals to gamblers to sign up had little effect.<\/p>\n

Joining forces with gambling companies<\/h2>
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Marilisa Boffo.<\/span><\/p>

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Moreover, Boffo discovered an essential difference between problem gamblers and \u2013 for instance \u2013 people with a drinking problem: \u201cDrinking is everywhere, while gambling games are mainly found behind the closed doors of the operators.\u201d The only way through those doors was to team up with these operators. To that end, Boffo reached out to Holland Casino and Playtech.<\/p>\n

The former name will be familiar to many, the latter less so. Playtech is an international company that largely operates in the background. It is a global supplier of the technology that underpins online gambling platforms \u2013 one of those platforms being Holland Casino Online.<\/p>\n

Legal requirement<\/h2>

To Boffo\u2019s surprise, Holland Casino was more than happy to help. \u201cThis was partially due to Dutch legislation, which specifies that gambling operators must give scientists access to data and involve them in the development of measures to combat gambling addiction. Hence, I felt this was a win-win situation: we could join forces and use scientific insights to offer better protection to gamblers.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds that the gambling companies imposed no conditions on the research. \u201cWe were motivated by the same thing: protecting gamblers against addiction. Scientific integrity and the independence needed to safeguard my research are non-negotiable terms in any partnership negotiation.\u201d That said, Boffo is not blind to the risks \u2013 which is why reflection on the partnership also forms part of her research.<\/p>\n

Piece of the puzzle<\/h2>
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Before Boffo began her research, she realised that she had, in her words, \u2018overlooked a piece of the puzzle\u2019. \u201cI usually work in a clinical setting, where I design interventions for people who\u2019ve already developed an addiction problem. However, these didn\u2019t seem to work well for people with a gambling addiction. I decided that it would be better to focus on gamblers who ran a lower risk and had not yet become addicted, so that I could prevent the problem from occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consequently, her research is aimed at developing a prevention programme that she intends to make available to gamblers at all risk levels through the online operators\u2019 platforms. The research project \u2018Safe bet\u2019 has been under way for a few months now, with Boffo working on an online \u2018framework\u2019 on the basis of addiction theories. Such a framework consists of a series of interventions, digital persuasion techniques (nudges) such as pop-ups, legally required measures and other ways to set gambling limits.<\/p>\n

Encouragement<\/h2>

The behaviour of gamblers is being monitored as well. \u201cOn the basis of this behaviour, an existing algorithm determines how much risk a gambler runs of developing a problem. We\u2019re able to monitor gamblers as they play: how often they do so, how much risk they take, what their preferences are and which measures they take themselves to regulate their gambling behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The framework is intended to encourage self-regulation, rather than enforce it. \u201cWe want them to set their own limits and stick to them, as this is a much more sustainable approach than coercion.\u201d One of the factors the algorithm had to take into account is the fact that the risk-taking behaviour of gamblers is not a constant: they may be high rollers in some situations, but may take it easy in others. This is normal human behaviour, according to Boffo.<\/p>\n

Unlimited limits<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u2018A legally required measure doesn\u2019t mean that gamblers are obliged to abide by that measure\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Some measures in the framework are legal requirements, but this does not mean that Holland Casino and Playtech will actually impose those measures on gamblers. \u201cA legally required measure doesn\u2019t mean that gamblers are obliged to abide by that measure. Only the existence<\/em> of the measure is required. It\u2019s often up to the companies themselves to introduce them, and gamblers\u2019 compliance with them is voluntary.\u201d<\/p>\n

For instance, the law stipulates that the amount of money in a gambler\u2019s account must be limited, but there is nothing that prevents a gambling company from setting that limit at, say, 20\u00a0million euros. As long as there is <\/em>a limit. \u201cThe question then becomes: do operators have the necessary expertise to set appropriate limits? Besides, setting a limit is all well and good, but what do you do if someone gambles for a long period of time and tops up their account continuously? The length of time spent gambling may also have a significant effect on gamblers. That\u2019s why we\u2019re trying out all sorts of inventions, just to see what sticks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opposite effect<\/h2>

An example of such an intervention is a pop-up that reminds the gambler of how long they have been gambling or alerts them to how much money they stand to lose. However, this intervention may also have the opposite effect. For instance, problem gamblers may try to win their money back if they are alerted to their losses. \u201cFor this reason, we always try to give balanced information. The tone is also important. For example, we know that the gamblers who take the largest risks tend to regard interventions as patronising and just ignore them. As a consequence, the information is as factual as possible without being coercive. It also matters whether you address someone in your communications as a gokker<\/em> (gambler) or as a speler<\/em> (player).\u201d<\/p>\n

As Boffo explains, gamblers who take fewer risks may benefit from an entirely different tone. \u201cBy contrast, these gamblers are receptive to being reminded that they\u2019ve been gambling for too long, for example by being shown their gambling history. An alternative approach is to ask them from time to time whether they\u2019ve gambled enough for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflection on the partnership itself<\/h2>

In recent years, there has been a lot of criticism of partnerships between scientists and the fossil fuel industry. The gambling industry is not generally considered a positive force in society either, and in any case, entering into partnerships with the business sector is a complex issue for scientists. This is why Boffo\u2019s research includes a reflection on the partnership with gambling companies. \u201cOur publications will include a white paper on the partnership itself. I\u2019ve thought long and hard about how I wanted to work with Holland Casino and Playtech. We had plenty of discussions on this topic, and I asked my managers and the Legal Affairs department for advice to find out whether such a partnership would be wise. It involves the risk of conflicts of interest and various ethical questions, several of which have no cut-and-dried answer. My primary concern is for the gamblers: how can I reach them and help them out with the knowledge I possess? For me, this research is the way how. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll still feel the same way in four years\u2019 time, but for now, this is the choice I\u2019ve made.\u201d<\/p>\n

No worries<\/h2>

Boffo is aware of the potential conflict between these messages. Even so, the aim of her research is to work in a naturalistic setting. \u201cFirstly, we\u2019re limiting ourselves to a sample population of several thousands of gamblers \u2013 so this doesn\u2019t include everyone. We negotiated this with the companies involved: what was acceptable to them and what was right for us in terms of scientific integrity? Eventually, we came to an agreement. We want to test our framework in a realistic setting, and it wouldn\u2019t be realistic for us to prevent the operators from running promotions and special actions on their own platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides, she emphasises that her research is not necessarily intended to improve the companies\u2019 gambling platforms. \u201cI\u2019m a scientist first and foremost. That means I\u2019m not building a product for those companies, but trying to answer questions and test a hypothesis. Whether the framework works in the end or doesn\u2019t is not the point \u2013 either result is fine. I\u2019d still have an answer to my questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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