UK charity pushes for standardised “gambling blockers”

UK charity GambleAware has published research criticising the effectiveness of payment blockers that are “more like a light switch than a lock”.

UK.- GambleAware, which commissions problem gambling treatment and prevention services in the UK, has called on UK Finance to recommend standardised payment blockers as it publishes details of research into the effectiveness of current measures.

The charity says its research found that only around 60 per cent of current accounts held with UK banks were covered by blocker services and that only eight banking apps offered the tool to customers. That leaves around 28 million personal current accounts with no services to block spending on gambling, it said.

GambleAware commissioned the research from the University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre (PFRC) to evaluate the effectiveness of payment blocks and their potential to prevent gambling harm.

The PFRC reviewed aggregated data and statistics from financial firms and found that gambling blockers were being used by around 500,000 customers. One bank shared data showing that it blocked 390,000 – 585,000 transactions each month.

The centre said it had identified several flaws in the current services. It said some banks’ blockers were “more like a light switch than a lock”, with three of the eight banks that offer blockers offering tools that could be immediately turned off.

It said banks should add more friction to the blocker services, such as time-release locks that last for at least 48 hours.

GambleAware Chief Executive Marc Etches, said: “Keeping people safe from gambling harms requires banks to play their full part in providing consumers with effective means to block gambling transactions.

“While some banks have taken proactive steps to help shield their customers from gambling harms, the findings of this research indicate that improvements can and should be made. We encourage the banking industry to work together alongside the government and regulators to implement the proposed recommendations.”

GambleAware has drawn up a blueprint of recommendations on gambling blockers for UK Finance and financial services providers. It calls for firms and regulators to work with “experts by experience” to design products, services and interventions for people negatively affected by gambling, and for the Financial Conduct Authority to recommend gambling blocks as standard on all debit and credit cards.

It also said an awareness campaign was needed to promote card blockers alongside other forms of self-exclusion and that the government should create regulatory conditions to encourage financial services providers to innovate and develop a wider range of consumer spending controls.

Professor Sharon Collard, PFRC Research Director at the University of Bristol, said: “Our research has found bank card gambling blockers are not available on roughly 40 per cent of personal current accounts. This means an estimated 28 million people are missing out on this crucial tool to block gambling expenditure which helps protect them from gambling harm.

“We are calling on the Financial Conduct Authority to urgently recommend that gambling blocks are standard on all debit and credit cards.

“We examined the effectiveness of all existing blockers and found that serious changes are required. The people affected by gambling harms who took part in the review stated that the more positive friction that can be built into a bank blocker, the more effective it can be.

“It is vital, therefore, that the blockers cannot just be turned on and off, as the benefits of the technology become redundant. Instead, we recommend all financial service firms require consumers to wait at least two days between requesting to turn the blocker off, and the blocker technology stopping.”