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Tools and Strategies: how do players manage their gambling
Understanding strategies players use to manage gambling can help operators develop more effective tools to protect players.
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The research explores the tools and strategies players use to manage their gambling, highlighting the gap between players’ self-directed strategies and their use of formal tools provided by operators or third parties. Key findings:
• Players Use Strategies More Than Tools: While 92% of surveyed gamblers reported using at least one strategy to manage their gambling, tool usage (e.g. deposit limits, time-outs) remains low.
• Common Strategies Include: Cognitive techniques (e.g. reminding oneself of better uses for money), social support, activity substitution, and self-monitoring.
• Tool Ecosystem Is Underdeveloped: Of 69 digital tools reviewed, most were focused on treatment rather than prevention, and only 17% had independent evaluations. Tools like bank card blocks and CBT-based apps were common, but often lacked proactive promotion or personalization.
• Low Uptake of Operator Tools: Only 16% of players used voluntary deposit limits, and fewer than 2% used time-outs. Many tools are poorly integrated, under-promoted, or not tailored to user needs.
• Evidence Supports Personalised Feedback and Education: These interventions show the most promise, while evidence for limits and pop-ups is mixed or low-quality.
Recommendations for industry and policy:
• Develop a consistent, integrated ecosystem of tools with familiar interfaces across platforms.
• Improve communication and promotion of tools using personalization, gamification, and incentives.
• Align tools with strategies players already use, especially cognitive and motivational techniques.
• Increase independent evaluation to identify what works and refine or remove ineffective tools.
• Expand tool development to include prevention-focused tools, support for affected others, and tailored solutions for different risk levels.
These insights support a more strategic, user-centered approach to safer gambling tools, emphasizing integration, personalization, and evidence-based design. For full details, please refer to the complete document.
