Can Your Customers Afford Not to Know?

Across the world, gambling operators are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that they are protecting their customers from harm. Regulators are moving to tighten consumer protection frameworks, advocacy groups are calling for stronger interventions, and the public is seeing gambling problems emerge within their communities.

But amidst this pressure lies an opportunity. Rather than seeing responsible gambling as a compliance burden, operators can embrace it to strengthen customer relationships, build trust, and demonstrate leadership. The future of sustainable gambling depends on industry’s ability to support customers not only in enjoying their play, but also in managing it safely.

Why Affordability Matters

One of the most pressing issues is sustainable spend. Gambling can create significant financial stress, but most people are poor at monitoring how much they spend. Research, including from my team, consistently shows that gambling customers underestimate their losses—often by a large margin. Those who gamble more frequently or at higher intensity are the least accurate.

This matters because if customers are not fully aware of what they are spending, they cannot make truly informed decisions about their play. Affordability is not just about imposing limits; it is about giving customers the tools and information they need to reflect on their gambling in the context of their own financial situation.

The Psychology of Overspending

From a psychological perspective, overspending in gambling is not surprising. People are prone to optimism bias, focusing on the possibility of a win rather than the likelihood of a loss. Many underestimate small, repeated expenditures, or struggle to recall losses accurately when play is fast-paced and fragmented across platforms.

This means that traditional approaches—such as simply reminding players to “gamble responsibly”—are unlikely to be effective. Messages need to be paired with tools and features that make spending visible, meaningful, and easy to interpret. Customers are more likely to engage with interventions when these are designed with human behaviour and their own personal context in mind.

Supporting Customer Awareness

Operators can take proactive steps to help customers increase their awareness of spend. This can be framed positively as a form of customer service rather than a restriction. Our Australian research shows that clear, personalised feedback about gambling activity is highly valued by most consumers.

For example, spend summaries presented in simple, visual formats can be more impactful than raw figures alone. Encouraging customers to reflect on what they planned to spend versus what they actually spent can spark important moments of self-awareness. Interactive features—such as goal setting or quizzes—can make these insights more engaging and less confrontational.

The key is to present these tools as standard parts of the customer experience, not as optional extras only for people with “problems.” When features are normalised and seamlessly integrated, uptake is higher, and stigma is reduced.

The Business Case for Action

Proactive investment in sustainable gambling measures is not just about avoiding regulatory penalties. It is a business strategy. Customers who feel supported are more likely to view operators as trustworthy and to sustain long-term relationships. Transparent tools that help players manage their spend can reduce the likelihood of disputes, complaints, or reputational damage.

In competitive markets, operators who position themselves as leaders in safer gambling can differentiate their brand. Regulators, too, increasingly reward those who demonstrate a genuine commitment to consumer protection. Acting now can future-proof businesses against more restrictive mandates down the track.

The Role of Evaluation

While there are many promising approaches, not all interventions are equally effective. That is why evaluation is essential. It is not enough to roll out a feature and assume it is working. Operators should be testing, measuring, and refining tools to ensure they deliver meaningful benefits.

Evaluation can take many forms: controlled trials, customer surveys, behavioural data analysis. What matters is that operators commit to evidence-based decision making, collaborating with independent researchers and committing to being transparent and publishing the results. By sharing insights and collaborating with researchers, the industry can build a stronger evidence base that benefits everyone.

Principles for Action

Based on the growing body of research and international experience, several principles can guide operators in strengthening responsible gambling strategies:

1. Make spending visible. Provide customers with clear, accessible summaries of their gambling activity, ideally in formats that are easy to understand at a glance.
2. Encourage reflection. Create prompts for customers to think about how their actual spending compares to their intentions or their personal budget.
3. Normalise tools use. Embed sustainable gambling features into the mainstream customer experience so they are not seen as optional or stigmatised.
4. Design for engagement. Use behavioural science principles—making tools easy, attractive, timely, and relevant—to increase uptake.
5. Evaluate and adapt. Test the effectiveness of interventions, refine them based on evidence, and share findings to inform industry-wide best practice.
6. Work with researchers, regulators, and consumer groups to co-design solutions that are effective and credible.

Looking Ahead

The gambling field stands at a crossroads. The regulatory environment is evolving quickly, and public expectations are high. Yet this is also a moment of opportunity. By embracing evidence-based strategies and focusing on affordability and spend awareness, operators can demonstrate leadership and build stronger, more sustainable businesses.

The message to industry and regulators is simple: responsible gambling is not only about compliance—it is about customer care. Helping customers to understand and manage their spend should be seen as a core service, just like providing fair odds or reliable payouts.

Through collaboration, innovation, and evaluation, we can move towards a gambling environment that is both enjoyable and safe, balancing consumer protection with industry sustainability. The future of gambling will be built not on short-term wins, but on long-term trust.

To learn more about the research conducted by the University of Sydney’s Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic, please contact Dr. Sally Gainsbury and visit their website: https://www.sydney.edu.au/brain-mind/our-research/research-groups-and-networks/gambling.html