Neil McArthur: Single customer view “massive step forward” in reducing harm
Gambling Commission CEO calls on financial sector to engage and assist in protecting vulnerable gamblers
The UK Gambling Commission’s newly developed ‘single customer view’ platform is a “massive step forward” in the protection of at-risk gamblers, according to CEO Neil McArthur.
The UKGC chief made the comments during a keynote speech at the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute’s virtual conference for financial service professionals.
McArthur likened the single customer view project to open banking, where a customer’s different accounts are all accessible through one online interface.
“In this project we have challenged gambling operators and technology providers to work together to find a way of producing a holistic view of a customer’s gambling,” said McArthur.
“That would be a massive step forward. Think how much more powerful the system would be if it linked to financial services – because, to an extent, financial service providers already have a single view of their customers’ financial transactions,” he added.
The project, supported by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), aims to help reduce gambling harm, particularly where customers have multiple online accounts by merging them into one central access point.
The conference is part of a two-year programme of work being undertaken by Money and Mental Health aimed at engaging the financial sector in work to reduce gambling harm.
During the first virtual event of the programme, delegates looked at gambling blocking services introduced by UK high street banks, including Barclays and HSBC.
The question of how to make further progress and innovation in this area was also considered.
McArthur issued an appeal to the financial services sector to team up with the UKGC.
He said: “The Gambling Commission has already banned gambling with credit cards, as evidence showed that it would reduce the risk of gambling harm to consumers. That was an important step, but there is always more that can be done.
“The financial sector has an important role to play. We have already seen the introduction by banks of gambling blocking software, together with the use of data to support customers affected by problem gambling,” McArthur added.
The two-year programme was funded by an undisclosed regulatory settlement paid through a UKGC enforcement case.