CONFERENCE REPORT
is international and they are going to be the generation to tackle climate change. Importantly, they will support, work for or patronise businesses that share their views. They are highly susceptible to social media and influencers and are less into stuff – consumer goods – preferring entertainment and experiences. Attitudes to sex and gender can be overstated, but female consumers are forming an increasingly important segment within the gambling audience. There is a danger that slot machines, for example, with oversexualised imagery become irrelevant to Gen Z. It is certainly not attractive to the 50 percent of players who are female. Successful operators will be the ones who respond by targeting women and that has an impact on the regulation of gambling and sponsorship where women’s sport is breaking viewing records. Trust is a key currency – reviews and services like trustpilot are familiar and will start to be adopted in online gambling. Try before you buy will become increasingly prevalent which means big bonuses. Ensuring regulators are fit for the future The IAGR conference ended with some crystal ball gazing as panellists worked through the implications of some key trends for the gambling industry. Tackling these will be a key part of future-proofing gambling regulation. Payments : the trend away from traditional payment mechanisms (a key part of enforcement) towards vouchers eg neosurf) and crypto (not normally acceptable by licensed operators) will continue to pose challenges especially regarding AML. The recent appearance of Skins – in-game enhancements which are accepted as currency on some sites – only adds to this. Ongoing monitoring needs to be future focused, and it is vital that regulators share information and knowledge. There is so much going on – NFT services, novel card breaking games, new ways that crypto and
smart contracts are being dealt with – that it is impossible for any single regulator to keep track of everything. Internal processes and procedures have to be continually evaluated. Sadly, there is no such thing as ‘set and forget’ anymore. Marketing : targeting consumers through affiliates, social media, live streaming and influencer marketing is a trend being adopted by offshore operators. The market is so dynamic that regulators need to be proactive and agile in investigating and taking enforcement action. Changes to gambling demographics : as we have seen, there are increasing numbers of women gambling online but the established support services for problem gambling are geared towards men. This is going to need to change rapidly. We are also conducting a social experiment whereby the youth and young adults are being exposed to gambling advertising at unprecedented rates and this is linked with problem gambling in later life. The use of prominent sports figures in advertising has particular cut through among young people. Using sports starts to “talk to young people” especially about things they have had no previous exposure to (like casino gambling) puts them in an alarmingly unprotected position. Quite rightly, some jurisdictions are restricting these developments but others should keep an active watching brief on these and similar developments. Enforcement : This is a key part of the regulator’s duty to its licensed operators, but it requires creativity and ingenuity to stay ahead of the offshore industry. There are some good examples of novel disruption tools, like referring directors to border protection services, which may limit their travel. Website blocking and financial transaction blocking are last resorts, but things determined regulators are turning to. Where an offshore party is regulated elsewhere else, a direct approach through that regulator can get a much higher response. Most regulators will communicate with each other and collaboration can be positive.
Phil Savage Head of European Affairs, IMGL For information contact phil@imgl.org +44 7778 635 836
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IMGL MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2024
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