How The Right Tech Can Revolutionise Responsible Gambling

With online casino guidance on proper responsible gambling protocol a constantly-evolving industry topic, we sat down with Flows’ Domenico Mazzola to discuss how no-code automation platforms can help businesses stay ahead of the curve and provide a safer, more enjoyable experience to their users

No matter what markets they operate in, one of the biggest challenges gambling operators face on a daily basis is making sure their offering remains compliant in an ever-shifting regulatory landscape – and using the right tech can certainly help them make this time-consuming process a great deal easier.

As regulators don’t often give operators much of a heads-up when directives change, being obligated to manually update their workflows each time can significantly disrupt an organisation’s roadmap. By using a no-code automation platform, however, they can easily review their processes and add any mandatory steps that are required on demand, ensuring that their operations can continue as normal.

Streamlining The KYC Process

For casino operators, customer care starts from the moment a player first signs-up – and Flows has a number of practical use cases when it comes to integrating third-party APIs and other technology that can assist them with their KYC procedures. We can accelerate the process of collecting and checking user information by creating a flow that automatically prompts players to submit specific personal details and photo ID on registration. As an agnostic platform, we can then cross-reference this information against a database or review it using an independent verification service directly in flows.

Through its intuitve, no-code technology, Flows then gives operators the ability to quickly and easily modify these KYC processes in accordance with any updated industry directives. If, for example, a new initiative is introduced that requires operators to gather additional information during registration, this can now be included in a cost-effective way that requires no additional programming knowledge.

Beyond the initial KYC stage, however, innovation platforms like Flows certainly have an important role to play in terms of identifying problem gamblers and enabling operators to act before it’s too late. As they can be set up to respond to certain data cues and issue appropriate messaging accordingly, operators can address the early warning signs and prevent more serious problems arising in the future.

Managing Risk & Responsibility

At Flows, we promote the idea of assigning players a “risk score” based on their on-site behaviour, with this allowing operators to identify patterns and trends that may indicate a higher susceptibility to problem gambling. This score could be compiled from a number of data points – for example the frequency of players’ deposits and withdrawals or the length and regularity of their sessions – and operators can then establish a threshold for when specific actions need to be automatically initiated.

By utilising such a system, an operator can use their technology to instantly deploy various responsible gambling measures once a set score has been reached. These might include issuing reminders about responsible gambling and self-exclusion options, providing information on counselling and support services or even temporarily – or in more extreme cases, permanently – suspending a user’s account.

Naturally the data gathered by an innovation platform while establishing a “risk score” also has a number of applications within other parts of an operators’ business as well. Linking the information stored in your responsible gambling system with your CRM, for example, can allow both teams to analyse the data in real time and decide which offers aren’t suitable for potentially vulnerable players.

If a customer has been assigned a high “risk score” and flagged as someone who might have a gambling problem, a flow could be created that consequently prevents them from receiving promotions encouraging further deposits. This way, the CRM team can support their organisation’s responsible gambling efforts and ensure that their players aren’t being incentivised to bet more than they should.

Reinforcing User Restrictions

Once the player or operator has actively imposed controls on their account, Flows can also be used to simplify the process of monitoring responsible gambling safeguards such as deposit limits and self-exclusion. This can be done by creating a flow that automatically checks for compliance with these restrictions, alerts the operator to any issues and even submits information to the relevant regulator.

Of course, it’s worth noting that data gathered by innovation platforms such as Flows has applications not just for casino operators, but also for other businesses concerned with responsible gambling, including anti-problem gambling organisations and even – in some cases – the regulators themselves.

An organisation such as Gamstop in the UK, for example, could use this type of technology to automate the process of adding players to their self-exclusion list. This would in turn enable them to manage that list more efficiently and implement their controls more effectively, eliminating the wait between self-exclusion being activated and sites being blocked, when players are often at their most vulnerable.

A regulator, on the other hand, might choose to use its no-code tech to monitor the activity of operators under its remit and check compliance with things like enforcing deposit limits and self-exclusion. Taking this a step further, it could then also set up a process that subsequently issued appropriate warnings when these rules were broken, thereby regulating the industry more efficiently.

A Sustainable Environment For All

Putting it all together, there are myriad benefits to businesses using platforms like Flows to manage compliance and responsible gambling – not just for the operators and regulators themselves, but also in terms of the user experience they provide to customers. From an operator’s point of view, it saves a lot of time-consuming manual labour – not only in the onboarding stage, but also further down the line when having the ability to monitor and report in real time can have a big impact on their business.

For customers, meanwhile, streamlining things like KYC checks can lead to a faster onboarding and approval process than if they were handled manually, enabling them to enjoy a hassle-free online casino experience. This, coupled with the fact that responsible gambling messaging and account controls can be implemented instantly without the need for long communication periods in between can ensure they play in a safer environment where their efforts to gamble responsibly are supported.