BetBlocker

A big thanks to EDGE Gaming Expo for facilitating a really interesting conversation today. Šimon Vincze are David Richardson we're inciteful and knowledgeable partners to share the stage with. And Ciaran Henry with a polished and utterly professional moderator. How he's still on his feet after 2 straight days of moderation is beyond me!

BetBlocker founder Duncan Garvie will be speaking at the EDGE Gaming Expo on a panel discussing the clash between protecting people who are vulnerable to gambling harm and ensuring that the market demand for entertainment can be met. This is a crucial conversation topic at this time when the dialogue around gambling has become so highly charged that only the stakeholders with the loudest voices are being heard. This is resulting in policy and regulation that caters to the extreme ends of the spectrum and fails to offer the best outcomes for the largest number of consumers. A more data focused approach needs to be taken, as will be discussed on the panel with David Richardson, Šimon Vincze and Ciaran Henry on Wednesday.

BetBlocker would like to shine a spotlight on Aquarius (Drugs, Alcohol & Gambling Support Services) who were delivering educational presentations to students at Birmingham City University last week and put our info cards to great use as part of the materials that they distributed. We're really pleased to see our info cards getting handed out in this manner and would encourage any other organisations delivering education and support to reach out so we can send you (free) info cards. And keep us updated on any events that you distribute them at! We always want to shine a light on organisations that are helping to sign-post people to our service.

The UK black market disproportionately impacts people vulnerable to gambling disorder. As the Betting and Gaming Council's recent report [1] evidences, players who are engaging with the black market bet more and tend to be younger than other players. Black market operators explicitly target people who have registered with GAMSTOP, the UK's national self-exclusion scheme. Black market operators dominate the streaming marketing channel, a channel that has a very high engagement with younger audiences. The black market cheats players [2] with fake games that now dominate illegal markets [3]. This means that these vulnerable cohorts who have been enticed to play with unlicensed operators are then ripped-off, accelerating harm. Our founder and one of our Board of Trustees, Duncan Garvie, will be speaking at the EGR Global Summit London later today on risks that the black market represents to UK consumers.

In July 2024 BetBlocker received the National Council on Problem Gambling, Jim Wuelfing Annual Award for Prevention. Last week, the trophy was delivered to our Trustee Duncan Garvie. The BetBlocker team is deeply humbled to have our work recognised in this fashion. This has been an amazing accolade to receive from one of the most knowledgeable organisation in the harm prevention space. But more important than the recognition is the way the award has impacted our brand awareness. More operators and treatment providers are signposting the free support we offer because of this award. That means more people getting the help that they need, and that's worth more than gold.

BetBlocker's founder and Trustee, Duncan Garvie, has just authored further research into the UK black market, evidencing the widespread use of fake games by unregulated gambling operators. Given the inherent market factors that drive disproportionate numbers of players either impacted by gambling harms or more vulnerable to harm to the black market, the reality that these players are then been cheated in huge volumes is something that should seriously concern all stakeholders in the harm prevention space.

🙏 Big Favour:I would greatly appreciate it if my network—especially those involved in gambling harm minimisation and treatment—could re-share and help raise visibility for this exciting initiative! I’m very excited to share that The Heroic Hearts Project UK is organising a psilocybin retreat in the Netherlands for veterans affected by problematic gambling, and I’ve been invited to collect data for my PhD research. My research focuses on the potential of psychedelics, combined with psychological support, as a pioneering treatment for gambling disorder. This is an important opportunity to explore new approaches in mental health care, and your support in sharing this could make a significant impact!

Our Founder and Trustee has just published an article discussing whether the Betting and Gaming Council's recent research has significantly undervalued the damage done to the UK via the black market. Lost tax revenues are certainly an easily understood metric when it comes to the black market, but they do not take into consideration the vulnerable demographics these businesses target or the accelerated harm caused by cheating softwares. This all results in substantial costs to treat those that experience gambling harms when engaging with the black market. And that doesn't even touch on the personal costs of lives and families ruined.

Our founder and one of our trustees, Duncan Garvie, recently addressed the subject of fake games being distributed by black market gambling operators in an article published on CasinoReviews.com. This is a critical issue. The black market explicitly targets those impacted by gambling harms, and then deploys cheating software, disguised as reputable brands, to exaggerate those gambling harms by accelerating player losses. These games are being marketed to operators specifically emphasizing how they can be customised to cheat players. This could be as basic as reducing the RTP below that which the genuine game would function at. But it could just as easily be a lot more deceptive. Top payouts could be advertised, but simply not available to players. Win caps could be deployed, ensuring that if a player was ahead of the house, wins were restricted. Streamers could be provided with fake money games. Or provided with versions of the games that return at a far higher rate than the games players access. The black market is an existential threat to consumers and far more needs to be done to combat it. Fortunately, BetBlocker is just as effective at blocking black market operators as it is licensed ones. 

Our founder Duncan Garvie will be speaking at the EDGE Gaming Expo at the end of this month alongside David Richardson, Ciaran Henry and Šimon Vincze on the important topic of balancing protecting vulnerable people from harm whilst ensuring that the sector can deliver the product that other consumers are looking for. Mark the date!