2024 Safer Gambling Compliance Report

Serve Legal supports businesses and retailers across diverse sectors, helping them operate confidently and comply with regulatory standards. Our comprehensive auditing services enable retailers to evaluate staff performance, deliver targeted training, and gain valuable insights into their compliance landscape across the UK and Ireland.

Beyond our bespoke audit tests, we provide benchmarking data, dedicated programme support, and Trading Standards-assured guidance to our clients, offering a holistic solution for all areas of compliance management.

For Safer Gambling Week, we’re spotlighting two key ways that Serve Legal supports the gambling sector in meeting best-practice standards and how our efforts contribute to safer practices industry-wide, reaching beyond just our clients.

Serve Legal’s Mission

Serve Legal is dedicated to prioritising customer welfare by ensuring that betting and gaming environments remain safe, responsible, and aligned with regulatory requirements.

Our mission is to support companies in placing customers' best interests at the forefront of their operations, focusing on age verification compliance, harm reduction and safer gambling practices.

With regulatory pressures increasing, UK gambling operators are now required to take additional steps to protect customers and reduce gambling-related harm. The UK Gambling Commission has responded to safety breaches with significant financial penalties, pushing operators to enhance their processes and establish controlled, supportive environments both in physical locations and online.

To meet these demands, Serve Legal provides operators with the expertise and audit tools to safeguard customer welfare and maintain compliance. In being business’ ‘eyes on the ground’, identifying compliance gaps, assessing interactions, and guiding safer gambling practices, Serve Legal helps companies create responsible gambling environments that align with legal and ethical standards.

Age Verification - What We Do

Serve Legal supports companies in adhering to age verification policies on betting and gambling through rigorous age verification processes. Underage sales of age-restricted products pose significant risks, including potential prosecution, fines, license suspension, and reputational damage.

Using trained 18- and 19-year-old auditors, Serve Legal tests companies’ 'Think-25' policies to evaluate the effectiveness of age verification without violating legal guidelines. Our audits help businesses demonstrate due diligence and a proactive commitment to protecting and safeguarding young customers.

With live dashboard technology, clients can access real-time data to monitor their performance, compare benchmarks, and refine internal compliance strategies. By documenting their compliance efforts, businesses can assure authorities and customers of their commitment to preventing underage sales.

Age Verification – Unique Audit Data

Lottery

For the second year in a row, Lottery ticket audits are boasting the highest level of compliance among any Supermarket sector age verification programme that Serve Legal deliver Compliance rates have surged from 68% in 2022 to 92% by 2024, marking a substantial improvement over the past two years.

This year, the National Lottery operator, Allwyn, introduced a new responsible gambling limit; as of October 1, 2024, in-store Scratchcard purchases are capped at 10 cards per transaction.

Alongside age verification audits, Serve Legal is ready to assist businesses in ensuring compliance with this transaction cap, helping retailers maintain legal standards and uphold responsible play for their customers.

Amusement with Prize Machines (AWP)

AWP audits have traditionally shown lower compliance rates compared to other betting and gaming sectors. In supermarkets, staff typically manage multiple age-restricted products and work within a team, supporting compliance efforts. By contrast, bar staff overseeing AWP machines often operate under the assumption that patrons are already over 18 within a bar setting. During busy times, when staff are focused on serving customers, it can also be challenging to monitor who is using the machines, further impacting compliance rates.

Despite these challenges, Serve Legal has worked closely with clients in this sector to improve compliance rates. By tailoring our audit processes to the unique demands of AWP machines, we’ve helped the sector improve its compliance rate from an average of 20% in December 2021 to 42% in December 2023, demonstrating substantial progress in responsible retailing.

Bookmaker Shops

Serve Legal has conducted age verification audits with betting shops across the UK and Ireland for over a decade, consistently supporting compliance improvements. Our exclusive 2024 audit data shows that betting shop clients have reached an impressive 92% compliance rate, the highest seen to date. Notably, 80% of customers were asked for ID within entering the venue, reflecting a strong awareness for age verification.

We know that engaging young customers early in their visit and promptly requesting ID, significantly reduces the risk of unintentionally serving minors and ensures compliance. By initiating conversation and utilising eye contact as customers enter, staff establish rapport and are better positioned to challenge anyone appearing to be under 25 before they have the chance to gamble.

In collaboration with the gambling sector, we recommended the ‘Challenge on Entry’ (CoE) protocol as an additional layer in our audit process. This step evaluates whether staff greet and verify auditors upon arrival, rather than after they have begun using gaming machines. Although naturally compliance rates for CoE were slightly lower, they have improved significantly and have helped the sector elevate CoE performance pro-actively as a more robust age gated control.

As of August 2024, The Uk Gambling Commission announced steps to strengthen age verification processes in store in changing from Think 21 to a Think 25 ID check policy. The new measures also require premises to evidence more robust procedures to record these interactions. It is important to note the change to Think25 will pose some challenges for staff, and the industry will need to be aligned with the best processes to manage safer gambling for young people.

This consistent improvement in compliance, paired with timely ID checks, demonstrates Serve Legal’s impact on enhancing age-restriction protocols in betting shops.

We hope to see these statistics continue to rise to reflect the efforts implemented by our clients. In addition to the success of each compliance test purchase, our audits help businesses demonstrate due diligence and a proactive commitment to age-restriction compliance, supporting general business reputation and customer welfare.

Safer Gambling - What We Do

Serve Legal’s Safer Gambling Scheme offers customised audits tailored to meet the specific needs of each client. Our expert auditors simulate realistic gambling interactions that include ‘stress- behaviours’ designed to test staff’s awareness and response to potential gambling risks. Through this approach, companies can evaluate the effectiveness of their safer gambling protocols, assess staff interactions with customers, and ensure that responsible gambling advice is appropriately delivered.

Audit insights give clients a clear, independent view of their safer gambling practices and enable them to make data-driven improvements to staff training and customer service. By monitoring compliance data in real-time through a live dashboard, operators gain continuous insight into their safer gambling performance, enabling them to set benchmarks, identify trends, and enhance their responsible retailing approach.

Safer Gambling - Audit Data

This year we continued to conduct Responsible Gambling Audits for several bookmaker clients, to help ensure customers receive appropriate support if they display signs of discomfort or anxiety while gambling.

Feedback from auditors reveals the significant impact that a supportive staff interaction can have on a customer's experience and welfare. Below are examples of staff comments, taken directly from audit reports, reflecting both positive and missed opportunities in response to those “trigger comments”:

"He asked if I was sure I still wanted to place the bet. When I said yes, another staff member checked if I was okay and suggested not to spend too much time here if I was struggling."
"The staff member acknowledged my comment and mentioned that I could easily self-exclude online. He advised me to reconsider placing the bet and take some time to think it over."
"After I made the trigger statement, the staff member introduced himself, shook my hand, and kindly suggested I use my tenner for a sandwich instead of a bet, telling me he wouldn’t allow me to place a bet today."

Conversely, some interactions showed missed opportunities:

"They laughed briefly, then said, 'That bad is it?'"
"‘Fingers crossed! Hopefully, you’re luckier here.’"
"She said, 'Oh no, that's not good. Well, I hope you win.'

We understand that these interactions can be uncomfortable for staff, especially those who do not feel confident in the support they are allowed to give to customers.

These examples of auditor interactions underscore the importance of training and protocols to ensure staff are equipped to provide empathetic and proactive support, contributing positively to customer welfare and reinforcing a responsible gambling environment.

What Can You Do?

Gambling responsibly isn’t just the duty of the industry—it’s a community effort. Here are a few pointers for how individuals and businesses alike can help promote a safer gambling environment:

For You

Set Clear Limits: Establish time and money limits before you start gaming.
Only Spend What You Can Afford: Gambling should never interfere with essential expenses. Ensure you’re only using disposable income that doesn’t impact your financial security.
Avoid Relying on Gambling for Income: Gambling is not a reliable source of income. Avoid the mindset of “winning back losses,” which can quickly lead to harmful cycles.
Keep Relationships First: Be mindful of how gambling might impact your personal relationships. Ensure that time spent gambling doesn’t interfere with your commitments to family and friends.
When the Fun Stops, Stop: Gambling should be enjoyable. If it stops being fun or causes stress, recognise it as a cue to take a break.

For Your Friends and Family

Stay Attuned to Their Behaviour: If a friend or family member is showing signs of stress or distress related to gambling, don’t hesitate to check in. Sometimes, a simple conversation can provide the support they need.
Encourage Setting Boundaries: If you notice someone close to you gambling frequently, suggest setting personal limits. Encourage them to view gambling as a form of entertainment, not a financial plan.
Offer Resources Without Judgment: Support your loved ones by sharing information on resources like GamCare, National Gambling Helpline, or Gamblers Anonymous. Reinforce that seeking help is a positive step, not a sign of failure.

For Businesses

Foster a Culture of Care: Create an environment where staff feel comfortable engaging with customers who may need help. Staff should be empowered and trained to recognise distress and offer assistance or advice on support options.
Implement ‘Challenge on Entry’ (CoE): This early-engagement protocol allows staff to proactively check ID and assess behaviour, helping to ensure safe gambling practices are maintained from the moment a customer enters.
Partner with Independent Auditors: Collaborating with an external auditing service like Serve Legal offers unbiased insight into your compliance with safer gambling protocols. We simulate realistic gambling interactions to measure how well your staff respond to customer needs, providing actionable data that can guide staff training and enhance customer support.

Safer Gambling Week

It is clear to see the meaningful impact of early engagement and proactive compliance strategies in supporting age verification and safer gambling compliance.

The 18th-24th November marks Safer Gambling Week 2024; an opportunity to reflect on personal habits, the wellbeing of others and opportunities for businesses to step up and take responsibility for customer welfare. Serve Legal is here to help you go even further. With our support, businesses can build a robust foundation for safer gambling, strengthen customer interactions, and set new standards for compliance.

If you’re interested in learning more about our tailored audit programmes or have questions about developing your businesses compliance, feel free to get in touch.