Industry Research Briefing Vol.1 (2) — Customer Interactions

The research note analyses player responses to real-time responsible gambling interactions and provides best practices to improve interaction success rates.

Categories

The research explores the effectiveness of real-time, in-play personalised messaging to encourage responsible gambling behaviours, particularly the use of deposit limits. Key findings:

• Personalised Messaging Works: During the trial, 15% of high-risk players who received a targeted message set a deposit limit within one hour.
• Meaningful Engagement: Over 75% of those who set limits did so below their recent deposit levels, suggesting genuine intent rather than dismissive compliance.
• Effectiveness Declines Over Time: Campaign efficacy dropped to as low as 2% after six months, highlighting the need for message variation and refreshment.
• Design Principles Matter: Messages were most effective when aligned with the EAST framework—Easy, Attractive, Timely, and Personalised. The “Social” element (e.g. peer comparisons) was not used in this trial.
• Pop-Ups Outperform Static Messages: Interactive, in-play pop-ups requiring user action were more effective than passive messages or emails.
• Self-Appraisal Beats Normative Info: Messages prompting players to reflect on their own behaviour were more impactful than those comparing them to others.

Implications for industry and policy: 

• Real-time, in-play messaging can be a valuable tool in a broader safer gambling strategy.
• Messages should be brief, jargon-free, visually integrated with gameplay, and tailored to player behaviour.
• Campaigns must be refreshed regularly to maintain effectiveness.
• Messaging should be part of a layered approach, not a standalone solution.

These insights support the use of behavioural science and personalised communication to promote safer gambling. For full details, please refer to the complete document.