The Gambling Commission has developed a much-improved Consumer Voice framework, marking a major shift in how the regulator engages with and understands the experiences of consumers who gamble in Great Britain. This new framework expands the scope of research for the Commission, enabling more nuanced and inclusive understandings of behaviors and motivations related to gambling, as well as the challenges faced by diverse consumer groups.
Four Specialist Partners New for the Redesigned Consumer Voice
This initiative brings in four specialist research suppliers, each contributing unique skills to enhance the Commission’s ability to gather insights:
- Yonder Consulting: Experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to deliver comprehensive insights.
- The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT): Renowned for experimental and behavioural research, utilizing behavioural science to understand the hidden consumer decision-making processes.
- Humankind Research: Experts in qualitative research focusing on elusive and minority populations, as well as individuals impacted by gambling issues.
- Savanta: Providers of quick, cost-effective research solutions that enable timely monitoring of consumer opinions and emerging trends.
Each supplier has been granted a two-year contract, with potential extensions up to 2029, ensuring continuity and adaptability to evolving research needs.
Increasing Agility and Dimensions in Consumer Research
Laura Carter, Head of Research at the Gambling Commission, emphasized the significance of this framework:
“This new framework gives us greater agility and reach than ever before. With these four partners, we are better able to commission high-quality research quickly and use varied methodologies to respond to emerging trends or risks. The Consumer Voice programme is central to ensuring our regulatory decisions are informed by the lived experiences of all gambling consumers and the changing landscape of gambling in Great Britain.”
This programme complements the Commission’s leading Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), adopting a flexible, targeted approach that enables deep dives into specific issues, pilot innovative research methods, and track shifts in attitudes over time.
Impact and Reach: Engaging More than 10,000 Consumers in 2024
In 2024, the Consumer Voice programme successfully engaged over 10,000 gambling consumers, providing insights into several critical concerns:
- Financial risk evaluations and consumer safeguards
- The impact and control of bonus incentives
- Betting patterns during the cost-of-living crisis
- Customer interactions with authorized and unauthorized betting markets
From the Research Partners
Joe Wheeler, Associate Director, Yonder Consulting:
“Over the past three years, Yonder Consulting has partnered with the Gambling Commission to deliver mixed-methods research for the Consumer Voice Programme. We’ve supported a wide range of impactful research programmes, covering elements of the consumer experience like trust in the industry, engagement with the unlicensed market, behaviours during key sporting events, and the impact of marketing and bonus offers. We’re delighted to continue our ongoing partnership and to support the Commission in delivering against key policy evidence gaps.”
Eleanor Collerton, Senior Advisor, The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT):
“We’re proud to contribute to the Consumer Voice programme by applying behavioural science and experimental research to generate actionable insights. Our work supports the Commission’s mission to mitigate gambling harms and ensure consumer perspectives shape effective policy.”
Tom Silverman, Co-Founder, Humankind Research:
“Focusing on work that has a positive social outcome, we pay attention to the real lives of complex and neglected people. Working together with the Gambling Commission helps us use sensitive and inclusive methods to learn more about those who are touched by gambling, helping us make smart policies.”
Olly Wright, Head of Public, Savanta:
“Savanta’s quick-turn qualitative research tools enable the Commission to stay attuned to consumer opinions and behaviours, ensuring the voices of gambling consumers remain at the heart of regulatory efforts.”
The Gambling Commission’s enhanced Consumer Voice framework represents a bold commitment to evidence-based regulation, prioritizing consumer welfare. This initiative enables the Commission to promote a safer and fairer gambling environment across Great Britain through diverse research methodologies and increased participation from a wide range of gambling consumers, including vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups.
For more details about the Consumer Voice programme and other ongoing research initiatives, visit the official website of the Gambling Commission.
This initiative underscores the Gambling Commission’s dedication to transparency, inclusiveness, and innovation in safeguarding and empowering gambling consumers throughout Great Britain.
