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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Player protection measures in online gambling are still insufficient. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the University of Bremen and the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD). The authors provide recommendations for policymakers.
In a literature review, researchers from the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research in Hamburg and the Gambling Research Unit at the University of Bremen examined the effects of player protection measures in online gambling.
“With the growing popularity of online gambling, the question arises from a health science perspective as to which player protection measures are suitable for effectively addressing the addiction risks and gambling-related harms associated with these digital products, explains Dr. Tobias Hayer from the University of Bremen.
“The results of the literature review are highly relevant to practice. For example, they show that player bans and financial limit systems are important developments for modern player protection. Such effective measures must be further reinforced.
A total of 42 academic publications, which contained empirical findings on the following player protection measures, were analyzed: player bans, personalized feedback, pre-commitment (limitation systems), pop-up messages, responsible gambling tools (player protection packages offered by online gambling providers), advertising restrictions, motivational telephone interventions, and self-assessments. Based on these measures, a total of eight recommendations for action were derived from the literature analysis for policymakers.
In a policy paper, the study’s authors presented recommendations for action. They emphasize that this is important with regard to the renewal of the State Treaty on Gambling among the federal states.
“Among other things, based on the results of a study from Spain, we recommend considering advertising restrictions as a promising approach for effective gambling addiction prevention. We hope that policymakers will take these findings into account and that evaluation studies on the effects of advertising restrictions in the gambling sector will also be conducted in Germany,” states Dr. Jens Kalke from the ISD.
The literature review was supported by the Federal Ministry of Health.
Recommendations for Action
(1) Player bans: In general, player bans are among the most important developments in modern player protection. Accordingly, the establishment of a centralized blocking system is recommended, one that covers all gambling offerings with medium and high addiction potential (and thus also all forms of online gambling).
(2) Personalized feedback: Personalized feedback should be an integral part of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the addiction risks associated with online gambling. To move closer to a gold standard, the practical testing and evaluation of different variants of personalized feedback is recommended.
(3) Pre-commitment: Limitation systems are generally suitable for effectively counteracting the addiction risks associated with gambling. They should primarily relate to financial parameters and be set as binding limits. The specific design of the limits must be based on theoretical considerations and further research findings and should be regularly reviewed through scientific evaluation.
(4) Pop-up messages: Pop-up messages can be expected to have slight positive effects. Such interventions should be included as an efficient behavioral prevention measure in every social policy framework for online gambling.
(5) Responsible Gambling Tools (RGTs): Although the few empirical findings suggest a reasonable level of acceptance among the target group, the current data does not allow for a definitive conclusion as to whether RGTs actually have the potential to bring about sustainable changes in gambling behavior. It is therefore recommended that RGTs be further tested and evaluated in practice in Germany
(6) Advertising restrictions: Although only one primary study on the effects of advertising restrictions on gambling behavior is available to date, its findings suggest that these restrictions represent a promising approach for effective gambling addiction prevention. Therefore, further pilot projects and evaluation studies on the effects of advertising restrictions in the gambling sector should be conducted.
(7) Motivational telephone interventions: Motivational telephone interventions are associated with modest positive effects. They should therefore be a mandatory component of social and prevention programs. To further optimize their effectiveness, it is advisable that such services be well integrated into the support system.
(8) Self-assessments: Evaluation results to date show relatively high uptake and acceptance of self-assessments among (problem) gamblers. However, the extent to which they have a lasting effect on gambling behavior remains uncertain. Nevertheless, self-assessments should be an integral part of RGTs.
Dr. Tobias Hayer
Faculty 11: Human and Health Sciences / Head of the Gambling Research Unit
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-68708
Email: tobha@uni-bremen.de
Dr. Jens Kalke
Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD, Hamburg)
Phone: +49 176 567 33 497
Email: j.kalke@isd-hamburg.de
The German research report “Update 2025: Effekte von Maßnahmen des Spielerschutzes beim Online-Glücksspiel – Ein systematischer Review” is available for download here: https://www.isd-hamburg.de
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists
Psychology
transregional, national
Research results
English
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