The UK Gambling Commission has published new research suggesting that simply making information available to gamblers is not enough to ensure they can make genuinely informed decisions.
The study, carried out by the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), examined how consumers themselves understand the concept of “informed choice” throughout the gambling journey. It forms part of the regulator’s Consumer Voice programme and supports its broader work on fairness, transparency and consumer protection.
Published on 15 September, the research combined a review of 53 existing sources with three deliberative focus groups and four in-depth interviews involving people considered at higher risk of gambling-related harm. The findings were then mapped against the Gambling Commission’s Path to Play framework, which covers the stages consumers move through before, during and after gambling.
Information must be usable, not just available
A central finding was a persistent gap between information being technically available and consumers actually understanding or using it.
Participants reported that important details could be difficult to locate, presented in formats that were hard to interpret or shown at a point when they were no longer useful. The Commission said consumers’ sense of being informed depended less on whether information had been provided and more on whether they could find, understand and act on it when necessary.
The findings go beyond the Commission’s existing approach, which focuses on operators providing fair products, transparent rules, information on winning and losing probabilities and clear terms and conditions. Consumers generally regarded those principles as a reasonable foundation, but many wanted operators to do more to make information understandable throughout the gambling experience.
The research highlighted differences between new and experienced players. New casino customers, for example, were more dependent on simple explanations of game mechanics, chances of winning and potential risks, while more experienced players often relied on previous knowledge.
Sports bettors placed greater importance on accurate odds, straightforward interfaces and information relevant to a particular wager. In land-based gambling, meanwhile, participants described a shortage of easily accessible formal information and said staff could play an important role in explaining unfamiliar products.
Responsibility shifts during the gambling journey
The study also found that responsibility for informed gambling was not viewed as belonging entirely to either the player or the operator.
Before gambling starts, participants were generally more willing to accept personal responsibility when the necessary information was clear and accessible. During gambling, particularly in fast-moving or immersive products, they showed greater support for operators intervening through tools such as alerts or prompts.
After gambling, some participants suggested that banks or another central service could potentially provide a clearer overview of spending across several gambling companies.
Personalisation emerged as another important issue. Participants often considered generic responsible-gambling messages easy to overlook, while information linked directly to their own behaviour, spending or changes in playing patterns was viewed as more relevant.
However, the research identified a clear tension around how behavioural data is used. Some consumers supported personalised protection measures but were wary that the same information could also be used to target them with gambling promotions.
Existing tools may be going unnoticed
The Commission also noted that some protections participants believed were missing already exist under current rules. These include deposit-limit prompts, information about spending and session length, limits on wagering requirements and access to safer-gambling support.
According to the report, this suggests that part of the problem lies not in the absence of protective tools but in consumers failing to notice them, understand them or engage with them effectively.
BIT has proposed a broader consumer-focused definition of informed choice for future regulatory work. Under that approach, informed choice would be treated as an ongoing ability to understand and act on relevant information rather than a single decision made before gambling begins.
Rules, odds, costs, product mechanics and risks would need to be presented in a way consumers can genuinely understand, while information and support should adapt to a person’s experience, capabilities and circumstances. The research also recognises that a consumer’s ability to make informed decisions can deteriorate during play because of factors including product design, pace and emotional state.
Research could shape future UKGC policy
The Behavioural Insights Team recommended that the Gambling Commission now translate the concept into measurable behaviours and outcomes. This could include identifying what actions demonstrate that consumers are genuinely informed, the barriers preventing those actions and the indicators regulators could use to assess whether interventions are working.
The Commission has not announced immediate regulatory changes as a result of the study. Instead, the findings are intended to strengthen the evidence base behind its future work on fair and open gambling and consumer decision-making.