Building Responsible Gaming Programs that Foster Player Trust

Gaming is supposed to be a fun and thrilling form of entertainment. Online gaming in particular has grown in popularity with transactions increasing 19% in last 12 months, according to TransUnion’s Global iGaming Fraud Trends report. Unfortunately, players may engage in behavior that puts them at risk financially or lead them to commit fraud. Operators want to ensure that they offer a smooth player experience while also providing an environment that is safe for players. Effective responsible gaming programs are designed to help.

Operators not only need to provide players options for controlling their playing experience, like playing time limits and preset spending limits, but also vetting players to help identify risky behaviors and conduct any step up responsible gaming treatment. To do this, operators need robust data, affordability scoring and investigative tools to enhance visibility of their players. 

What are responsible gaming programs?

Responsible gaming programs are a set of policies and tools that allow operators — and players — to control the player experience. These may include regulatory policies like player self-exclusion and age verification. They also refer to operator-provided tools, including:

• Play limits: Players or operators can set the maximum amount of time a player can play in any given session.
• Time-outs: Players can remove themselves from a gaming platform for a set amount of time through either a time-based option or a temporary hold on their account.
  
• Deposit limits: Players can set the maximum amount of funds they can deposit with at any given time.
  
• Account closures: Players can request a permanent closure of their account and be able to withdraw the remaining funds upon request.
• Player self-exclusion: Players can preemptively exclude themselves from their betting account. Operators need processes to identity these individuals and ensure that account verification flags keep them from receiving offers and opening new accounts.
  

Taking active role in responsible gaming

By taking an active role in responsible gaming, operators build trust with players. Ensuring that players’ identities are accurately verified and authorizing their accounts based on reliable information is a great place to start. Going further, assessing player affordability and streamlining investigations into high-value patrons, accounts that don’t pass automated checks and potential fraud enable a safer environment for players and added protection for operators.

Tailor player acquisition campaigns

Ensure that data used for marketing segmentation and targeting is reliable and offers a comprehensive view of the potential player. By marketing to potential players using identity focused marketing, operators can tailor their campaigns to only target attributes such as income and wealth segments by state. They can also ensure that they suppress individuals who have self-excluded themselves from seeing marketing materials.

Protect underage individuals with smart identity verification

Age verification is a core compliance requirement. Operators’ processes for player onboarding, account authentication, identity verification and identity-proofing data can ensure underage individuals are protected. 

Combat fraud with the right tools

Player acquisition priorities can leave operators susceptible to fraud especially bonus abuse. Operators can protect themselves by completing thorough investigations into suspect individuals quickly.

With tools designed specifically for operators, fraud investigators who are vetting players, assessing suspected bonus abuse or breaking up fraud rings can learn the truth about individuals in seconds. Analysts and investigators can dig deeply into a person’s identity, criminal history and location. They can also use relationships to that individual — like family members, household members or business associations — to uncover connections that might be used to commit fraud.  

Deliver a responsible gaming experience

Responsible gaming programs build brand equity with players establishing trust that operators are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience.

With the right data and technology, operators can not only safeguard compliance with regulatory requirements, they can also ensure a more trusted gaming experience with protections for players and their business.

Learn how TransUnion can help deliver a trusted gaming experience.