Poll results: Operators shouldn't sweat on self-exclusion impact

UK-facing operators shouldn’t be too concerned about the potential impact self-exclusion and cool-off facilities could have on their business, the majority of respondents to this week’s eGaming Review poll have said.

Last week William Hill partly attributed a profit warning to a reduction in actives it said had been caused by an increased customer take-up of self-help tools, and estimated the full year cost to be as high as ?25m.

The firm said it had been losing on average 3,000 customers a week, an admission which resulted in a 13% drop-off in its share price, while the likes of Ladbrokes and Paddy Power Betfair also saw its stock impacted negatively.

However, some of Hills’ rivals told EGR they had been “surprised” by scale of the self-exclusion and cool-off impact reported by the operator.

And 63% of respondents appeared to agree when responding that operators shouldn’t be overly concerned by the potential revenue hit brought about by the recently launched tools and should instead focus on the positive impact the take-up could have on the sustainability of the industry.

However the remaining 37% took the opposing view and said customers self-excluding for long periods was bound to have a detrimental impact on revenues at a time when firms are still getting to grips with additional tax burdens and other regulatory measures.