Managing the Growing Demands of Responsible Gambling: Trends, Challenges, and Solutions

March was Problem Gambling Awareness month in the US, so it's an ideal time to revisit what the latest developments and trends in responsible gambling are.

I recently had the opportunity to moderate a Vixio webinar titled Managing the Growing Demands of Responsible Gambling in 2025, with an expert industry panel including Max Collinge from Yaspa, Paula Murphy from Mindway AI, and my Vixio colleague, Zach Birnbaum, where we spent an hour dissecting these trends and their impacts on responsible gambling - and I wanted to share some of the most intriguing takeaways with you in this blog.

Do gambling age limits need to rise?

Politicians in the Netherlands have recently been discussing the gambling age limit and whether it should be raised from 18 to 21. There are some in the Netherlands who think that only people over aged 21 and over should be allowed to play the ‘riskiest’ gambling games. However, determining what games pose the greatest risk does not appear straightforward, even though some research has suggested that online casino games are more likely to cause gambling harm than sports betting.

One of the main risks in increasing the gambling age limit in any country, would seem to be driving players towards the black market. Also by not allowing young people to gamble, do law makers not run the risk of increasing the desirability of gambling among the group they are trying to protect? Furthermore, trying to stop some age groups from playing supposedly riskier gambling games would seem to be a difficult restriction to enforce.

Other arguments against raising gambling age limits is the fact that a higher age limit seemingly provides no guarantee against problem or disordered gambling. US states currently impose an age limit of 21 for several forms of gambling, yet US players still experience significant levels of problem and disordered gambling across the country.

Finally, some have argued that younger players can develop positive habits if allowed to gamble from the age of 18, as they are more receptive at that age. So raising gambling age limits may unintentionally prevent young players from learning how to gamble responsibly.

Do players need to be provided with more information about their gambling behaviour?

Some major online gambling operators are already providing players with personalised reports about their playing history from a specific time period. These operators believe that by making a player more aware of their gambling behaviour, they can help that player to gamble more responsibly in the future.

However, this approach would also seem to carry some risks. If the information provided to a player is not delivered in an appropriate way, then some within the industry warn that it could make players more inclined to chase their losses. 

Furthermore, providing players with every piece of data from their player history may result in players being overloaded with information, which would reduce the chances of such data helping them to gamble more responsibly.

Some industry experts are also concerned that while providing players with historical data may help a certain type of player, it may not have any impact on those players who are at the greatest risk of experiencing gambling harm.

Does responsible gambling terminology need to change?

Do terms like responsible or safer gambling really resonate with players? There appears to be a growing belief within the industry that such terminology is outdated and results in players thinking of responsible gambling as a gimmick or something that doesn’t apply to them.

Some gambling operators are starting to change the language they employ around responsible gambling, to try and make players see gambling safely as an integral part of their gambling experience. A good example of this is the decision taken by Crown casinos to call their responsible gambling program ‘PlaySafe’.

It seems likely that other operators will start to move away from the standard responsible gambling terminology in an effort to increase player uptake, and embed responsible gambling as part of a player’s overall gambling experience.

An example of this, is the increasing use of the term ‘positive play’ within the UK gambling industry, which seems more likely to resonate with players than much of the existing language.

What's the impact of the SAFE BET Act on responsible gambling?

My Vixio colleagues have helped me to better understand the potential impact of the SAFE BET Act on responsible gambling in the USA. 

The Act proposes that US states would have to ban any gambling advertising broadcast between 8am and 10pm, and would also prohibit gambling deposits by credit cards for online sports betting.

There are similarities between what is being proposed by the SAFE BET Act in the US and what has already taken place in Australia in recent years. In June 2024, a federal law prohibiting deposits by credit card for online sports betting entered into force in Australia.

In addition, while the Australian government has so far resisted an outright ban on gambling advertising, despite it being suggested by a parliamentary committee, restrictions on the broadcast of gambling advertising during children’s tv programmes and live sport are already in place.

Therefore there does seem to be parallels between some of what is proposed under the SAFE BET Act in the US and what has already been implemented in Australia in terms of responsible gambling.

There has been a major focus across Australian states on reducing gambling harm in recent years, and it will be interesting to see if US states also focus on this in the next few years.
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In this blog, I have touched upon just a few of the topics that I feel are currently important in responsible gambling, and have tried to include different perspectives for each. What cannot be denied though, is that the demands which are being placed on gambling operators in terms of responsible gambling continue to increase.

In countries such as Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands new duty of care requirements have either been introduced or are in the process of being implemented. Operators will be expected to meet some of the most stringent demands ever in terms of player protection.

A one size fits all approach to responsible gambling is unlikely to be deemed sufficient in these countries, as regulators expect increasingly more frequent and personalised interactions with players, to make sure operators are fulfilling their duty of care.

Want to know more?

Watch our recent webinar on demand, Managing the Growing Demands of Responsible Gambling in 2025, or download your copy of our Player Protection Outlook for a deeper dive into the into the world of responsible gambling from a regulatory perspective, helping you stay ahead of the curve so you can maintain a proactive compliance strategy for responsible gambling.