NCPG releases new guidelines
The council NCPG has released new guidelines as it says that payment processors have a role in reducing gambling harm.
US.- The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has released new guidelines that advocate consumer-centric approach emphasizing player control, information, and shared responsibility. It believes that payment processors have a role in reducing gambling harms.
“These corporations can play a critical role in reducing the negative consequences associated with gambling, the most severe of which can include debt, bankruptcy, broken relationships, homelessness, or even suicide. For companies that make profits from gambling, harm-reduction measures are both a sound business practice and an essential corporate social responsibility,” said the NCPG.
The council explained that each type of payment used for gambling can impact how quickly and easily individuals may access more money, how much they can obtain at a time, and add additional costs, such as ATM fees or interest charges.
“Recent payment innovations such as e-wallets, along with the availability of on-demand access to digital payments, could increase the willingness of consumers to spend more or gamble beyond their means in the heat of play.”
The newly-released Guidelines for Payments Processing from the National Council on Problem Gambling will help guide the industry’s thinking about solutions to this issue. “Payment limits can be an important responsible gambling tool, offering a consumer-centric approach that emphasizes player control, information, and shared responsibility,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. “Our guidelines are based on an informed consumer choice model and can help payment processors play an important role in reducing gambling addiction.”
NCPG calls on all stakeholders to encourage people who gamble to set their own limits of time and money; use personalized responsible gambling messages; allow players to self-exclude from gambling platforms and venues; allow players to synchronize their exclusions with venue and state exclusion lists; research signs of problematic play; utilize the payments data they collect to monitor performance and develop models to help predict and prevent excessive usage.
