Mandatory pre-commitment loss limits
in Norway
Bjørn Helge Hoffmann
M.Sc. Chief Adviser Responsible Gambling
Norsk Tipping
Do the Players
like them?
Do they make
Players more
aware?
Do mandatory loss limits prevent
problem gambling?
Do they stop
gambling when
they reach their
limits?
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Other indicators:
- Help Line statistics
- Prevalence studies
- Internal data
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
Brief introduction to Norsk Tipping
Mandatory Loss Limits
Do they prevent problem gambling
The key challenges
Today’s message!
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Norsk Tipping (Norwegian State Lottery)
• Mandate: Prevent negative consequences of gambling
•
•
65 % of the market
Monopoly (State owned)
– But private offshore Betting companies are
targeting Norwegian players – 13 %
•
•
•
One of the strictest responsible gambling
framework in the world
Record year! (Third in a row)
Sales per capita - One of the highest in Europe
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Channels and game portfolio
2 million players
Mandatory registered/identified play
44 %
3%
Retailer
14 %
Web
In-line
Games:
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Lottery
5
29 %
Sports
Scratch
tickets
10 %
Mobile
Casino
(Internet)
VLT
VLT/EGM
Why mandatory loss limits?
• Prevention
– Pre-commitment: Mandatory to set limit (loss and time) before play
• Minimum protection
– Max amount on limits
• Damage control
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Type of limits (day/month)
Max $ 2,400
In-line
Retailer
Games:
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Web
Lottery
7
Max $ 1,200
Max $ 320
($ 470 daily)
($ 80 daily)
Mobile
Casino
(Internet)
Sports
Scratch
tickets
VLT
VLT/EGM
Video that shows how we communicate
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Do mandatory loss limits prevent
problem gambling?
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Two Customer Surveys
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Survey 1
•
•
November 2016
2057 interviews
– Low risk players (green): 1233
– Moderate risk players (yellow): 201
– High risk players (red): 490
•
Random selection of players, but weighted on Playscan status
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A clear majority are positive to loss limits, think it is important and
understand why loss limits is introduced – this applies also to the high
risk players and players that have reached their limits.
How agree or disagree are you to following statements?
100%
80%
60%
66%
64%
13%
14%
9%
4%
7%
1%
8%
4%
7%
2%
73%
40%
20%
0%
I am positive to loss limits
Don't Know
BASE: ALL n = 2057
12%
5%
3%
5%
1%
I think it is important that loss limits are I understand why Norsk Tipping has
introduced
loss limits
Completely disagree
2
3
4
Completely agree
A clear majority didn’t play until limits were reset, only 10 % state
that they played elsewhere
What did you do w hen you w ere stopped by the limit?
74%
Didn't play until limits were reset
Played at other betting companies
Haven't played since I was stopped by
the limit
Don't know
10%
11%
5%
BASE: Limit hit n = 646
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BASE: ALLE SOM TRUFFET GRENSE n = 646
Survey 2
(Three Customer Surveys), September 2014 (Norsk Tipping):
– High intensity players (players at risk)
Selection: The 1900 players that lost most one month
Response rate: 18 %, N = 338
– Median
Selection: The 2200 players closest to the median
Response rate: 16 %, N = 365
– Low frequency players
Selection: 5000 random players who only played electronic scratch card for
a small amount
Response rate: 14 %, N = 698
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Customer Survey, September 2014
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Customer Survey, September 2014
Didn't play until limits were
Played at other betting companies
reset
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Don't know
What do the players say – summary:
Customer Surveys, September 2014 and November 2016
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•
•
•
Players are POSITIVE to loss limits
They say limits HELP them to keep control
And they say they STOP GAMBLING when they reach their limits!
•
Confirm findings from Prevalence study of «Gambling and video game problems» by
University in Bergen and The Norwegian Gaming Authority (2013) AND 2015
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Help Line
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National Help line
Calls about problem gambling to national Helpline
2500
Traditional slot machines
2100
Ban on bank notes (June)
2000
VLT
1700
= SUCCESS
1500
Ban on Slot machines (July)
New VLT (slot) machines launched
912
1000
657
664
682
746
735
657
514
544
568
2014
2015
2016
500
0
2005
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2006
20
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
National Help Line
(some extracted numbers from Help Line Statistics Report 2016)
Game (main problem)
Calls
%
Casino on Internet
255
51 % of all calls
40 %
60 %
Norsk Tipping
4%
Norsk Tipping and Unregulated Operators
21 %
Unregulated Operators (offshore betting
companies)
71 %
Not specified
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4%
21
Prevalence study 2015
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Prevalence study – Norway
Prevalence study of «Gambling and video game problems» by University in Bergen
and The Norwegian Gaming Authority (2015) – published June 8th 2016
•
•
•
•
14 000 people, aged 16 – 74 years
Response rate 40.8 % (5,485 valid answers)
Canadian Problem Gambling Index
Total in Norway:
–
–
–
–
non-problem gambler: 89.1 %
low risk gambler:
7.7 %
moderate risk gambler: 2.3 %
problem gambler:
0.9 %
3.2 %
But the these 3.2 % with problems are not uniformly distributed on Game types!
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Share of moderate risk and problem gamblers
Slot/casino: 38.5 %
Slot/casino: 46.7 %
Odds/Liveodds: 23.4 %
Odds/Liveodds: 15.7 %
13 %
4%
4%
8%
8%
Lotteries and
Scratch tickets
11 %
45 %
7%
Multix: 30.1 %
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Source: Prevalence study, UiB 2015
Lotteries: 5.1 %
Scratch tickets: 6.5 %
Internal data
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Limit hits (or near limit hits)
Reaching their limits (or close > 90 %) (February 2017)
Number of players
Percentage of all players
Monthly limit
Daily limit
13 294
21 246
4,6 %
7,4 %
Internet Casino Monthly limit
Daily limit
9 929
18 465
9,2 %
17,1 %
Monthly limit
Daily limit
23 513
45 423
50,0 %
96,5 %
Total Limit
VLT
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Reduction in average loss from high risk and
moderate risk players
Distribution of GGR
Average weekly GGR from all
high risk players
Average weekly GGR from all
moderate risk players
Average weekly GGR from all
low risk players
Before
After
Total limit
Total limit
NOK 25 661 179
NOK 22 730 451
-11,4 %
NOK 16 937 889
NOK 16 102 288
-4,9 %
NOK 89 232 920
NOK 89 363 364
0,1 %
Change
Reduced loss = reduced income (GGR) = ca. US $ 15 millions yearly
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Reduction in numbers of players that lose a lot
Number of Players losing >10 000 NOK per month
6 000
Total limit
5 000
4 000
3 000
2 000
1 000
2015
2016
2017
0
jan feb mar apr mai jun
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jul aug sep okt nov des jan feb mar apr mai jun
jul aug sep okt nov des jan
The key challenges
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The key! (foundation)
Games
Identified Play
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Other challenges
•
Communication
– Easy to understand
– Easy to use
– Customer value (the value proposition)
•
Arguments for the chosen maximum amount
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Today’s message
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Do the Players
like them?
Do they make
Players more
aware?
Do mandatory loss limits prevent
problem gambling?
Do they stop
gambling when
they reach their
limits?
Norsk Tipping AS
10.05.2017
33
Other indicators:
- Help Line statistics
- Prevalence studies
- Internal data
Do mandatory loss limits prevent
problem gambling?
YES!
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Thank you!
“The biggest problem in the world
could have been solved
when it was small.”
- Lao Tzu