It's time for the industry to lift its chin and broaden its horizons

The oft-quoted and far-from-welcome accolade levelled at the betting and gaming industry is our ability to unite habitually opposing interests – the Guardian and the Daily Mail for example or, perhaps, the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (who want tighter restrictions around gambling) and Justice for Punters (who want fewer restrictions). They might disagree on nearly everything else but they seem to coalesce around the fact that our industry has lost the trust of the public, nobody likes us and that we don’t seem to care. At the family Christmas get-together we smile a little awkwardly when we let distant cousins know that we still work in betting and gaming.

Putting aside the truism that many millions of consumers (and family members) enjoy the entertainment we provide and appear to experience positive well-being effects from gambling, our position in society has become increasingly precarious. We’ve lost control of the script when it comes to how politicians and the media perceive us – and any idea that we provide consumer benefits (in the same way that an occasional glass of wine does) has been dismissed as either unfashionable or plain wrong. We can sulk about this and hark back to happier days when the discourse was less hostile but the world has moved on and we need to address it. In essence, the critical issue of restoring our contract with society is the biggest challenge of all. Restoring our relevance and articulating our place in society must be met head on. To my mind, it’s a challenge we ought to relish rather than duck.

Social responsibility

EGR readers will be familiar with the wide range and growing number of operator-led initiatives, programmes and commitments which seek to protect and minimise customers from experiencing gambling-related harm. At present, all the parts haven’t yet added up to a sum big enough to reassure the public, press and parliamentarians.

I fear we have got a little bit too close to the picture and in so doing we’ve lost sight of what it means to have a social contract. Including the National Lottery, we know that a majority of people gamble. Why then have these many millions of voices fallen largely silent about the enjoyment they get through gambling? In parliament, it feels as though betting and gaming companies have considerably fewer supporters – audible supporters, at least – than a decade or so ago. Even in cities where the gambling industry is a significant employer or fulfils a valuable role in the tourist and consumer economy (London, for example), there are not many who are prepared to stand up in the chamber to ensure that gambling gets, at the very least, a fair hearing.

I work for the biggest casino operator (Grosvenor Casinos) in the country. We have even more bingo (Mecca) clubs than casinos and if I want to tell the Rank Group’s story to a potentially interested parliamentarian I find they are happier to show up in their constituency bingo hall than at their local casino. Why is that (apart from all those potential Mecca voters whom they get to ‘call the balls’ to)? “Casinos are a bit seedy… I’m not sure about casinos… Just a load of blokes playing roulette, right?”

These lines jar with me – but there is little point in getting upset. We need to ask what we can do differently to change how these people feel about us. Where casinos are concerned, we should be looking at how we might modernise our venues to expand their relevance and appeal while at the same time raising the bar on harm prevention; how might we contribute more to the communities we serve, to the local economy; and to explore how regulatory change can lead to better outcomes for the consumer. All parts of the gambling industry (not just casinos) should be considering these questions because the solution to negative sentiment has to be substantive change rather than trying to talk our way out of the bind that we’re in. This is the social contract challenge that extends beyond our players and our colleagues; a challenge that brings us into play with wider society.

In the period since the last Gambling Act was passed, gambling operators have chosen to describe themselves as part of the overall ‘leisure and entertainment’ market – but is that really how we are perceived outside of our parishes? Is that how we behave as individuals and, culturally, as operators? And is that how we benchmark ourselves? I’m not sure we tick those boxes all that convincingly.

In my experience, we typically take a more insular view – comparing ourselves against each other. One of the more puzzling features of some key policy debates in recent years is how a number of sectors of the industry chose to describe themselves as “the safest places to gamble” – as if being the least harmful was something to celebrate. Surely we can be more ambitious and exciting than that?

High standards

If we wish to compete properly in the entertainment and leisure market – and gain wider appreciation for what we do – we must calibrate our hospitality and service standards against the best in that wider market rather than simply against our nearest competitors. We can enviously look to Vegas as a glimpse of what UK customers might enjoy with enlightened regulatory change, but we are yet to earn the right to have that discussion. Society won’t welcome it right now, let alone policy makers. It feels like a long way back to restoring social acceptance, but it’s vital and it is possible.

To move closer towards a healthier social contract, we must focus less on gambling as a transaction and more on gambling as theatre, responsible enjoyment and on providing a wider range of complementary non-gambling services. Yes, we can look overseas for inspiration, despite the regulatory boundaries within which we operate, but these boundaries cannot be an excuse for curtailing our ability to offer a much better, responsible and exciting experience to UK customers.

By solving those things that are soluble within the existing regulatory framework, we earn the right to contribute to debates outside our own narrow regulatory interests. How can we encourage greater levels of tourism? What part are we playing in building a skilled and diverse workforce to compete on a global stage? The wider entertainment industry – cinemas, hotels, restaurants, pubs, theatres, theme parks etc – all come together under the organisation, UK Hospitality; but tellingly gambling is almost entirely absent.

Sustained action and investment, at scale, in heightening the customer experience is required – rather than grumbling about a hostile audience in parliament, on Twitter and at family gatherings.

If we reassure and we excite (with no apologies for seeking to excite), we stand a chance of redressing the balance and earning a platform for discussions about positive regulatory change. Who knows, it might even make for more enjoyable family catch-ups.

David Williams is director of public affairs at The Rank Group