In a move aimed at tackling the growing issue of harmful gambling, the UK’s National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidance recommending that healthcare professionals in the UK ask patients about their gambling habits during health checkups and GP appointments. 

Healthcare Professionals Encourage Patients to Assess Gambling Habits

NICE’s draft guidance emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals to identify and address the risks associated with gambling when patients exhibit signs of mental health problems or possible addiction. According to the guidelines, individuals should be encouraged to assess the severity of their gambling habits by completing a questionnaire available on the NHS website. This questionnaire, based on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), helps individuals determine their risk level. A score of 8 or above indicates a need for specialized support, while those with lower scores can also benefit from available resources.

The guidance further recommends discussing the use of blocking software or tools to limit online gambling and suggests cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a treatment option. CBT has proven effective in helping individuals identify triggers and manage the thoughts and urges associated with gambling episodes, making it a valuable tool in addressing harmful gambling habits.

“Harmful gambling causes immense misery to all those who experience it. We want those needing help or who are at risk to be identified sooner and receive appropriate help,” stated Professor Jonathan Benger, chief medical officer and interim director of the Center for Guidelines at NICE.

NHS Expands Treatment Clinics and Involves Families

According to a recent review by Public Health England, approximately 300,000 adults in England are grappling with problem gambling. Additionally, an estimated 3.8 million individuals, including adults, children, and young people, are adversely affected by someone else’s gambling habits. To address this issue, NHS England has established 12 gambling treatment clinics across the country since 2019, with plans to open three more in the coming months. These specialized clinics, fully funded by the NHS, are expected to assist around 3,000 people annually.

NICE’s draft guidance also emphasizes the importance of involving family members, partners, or close individuals in the treatment process if both the patient and the involved parties consent to it. While the NHS takes proactive steps to support individuals struggling with gambling addiction, the UK government is also making efforts to curb the issue.

A White Paper released earlier this year outlined comprehensive reforms, including the introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm. The government plans to initiate a consultation on the specifics of the statutory levy in the coming weeks.

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EveryMatrix, the established iGaming and sports betting software provider, has announced the launch of Slot Trumps, a player behaviour report that can give both operators and suppliers key insights into six different markets.

The first report that the company released is focused on the Brazilian market, one that has been growing steadily over the past few years. One of the findings of the report was that players in Brazil prefer medium-to-high volatility slot games, with 56 percent most played games in this market being in this category.

Moreover, the report found that Brazilian casino players interact with challenges, tournaments and other competitions more than any other. As for game themes, 10 percent of Brazilian players prefer slot games with animals, 7 percent like fantasy games, 6 percent prefer games with fruit, while 3.6 percent go for mythology-themed games.

The 90-day study of the Brazilian market also revealed the type of features that players like to see in their favourite slot games. Surprisingly, 30 percent of the games that feature in the top 20 for the Brazilian market have no Bonus type features at all.

However, these games are so popular among players thanks to their game mechanic predictability, with most of them tending to have classic themes such as fruits and also many of them are online versions of popular land-based slot games.

Top 20 Slot Games in Brazil

EveryMatrix studied the total number of game sessions recorded in the Brazilian market and came up with a top 20 of the most popular slot games. The company pointed out that nine of the top 20 games are featured in the SlotMatrix RGS, their popular aggregation platform that is used by many online casino operators from all over the world.

The highest-ranking game is Fortune Tiger, followed by Aviator and Mines on the podium. Going further down the list we find Fairy Fantasy Exotic Wilds in fourth place, followed by Aladdin’s Rollover Respins, Panda Time, Jungle Jaguar Deluxe, Fruits and 777s, Tiki Times Exotic Wilds, while Bayou Richesse wraps up the top ten.

Between 11th and 20th place we find Joker Jewels, Fortune Ox, Gates of Olympus, Super 7 Deluxe, Sweet Bonanza , Big Bass Splash, Sugar Rush, Wolf Gold, Gem Brillante and Fortune Rabbit.

The top provider in this market is SlotMatrix RGS, followed by Pragmatic Play, PGSoft, Spribe and Evolution Gaming. Microgaming, Spinomenal, Wazdan, Playson and SmartSoft also made the top ten.

Speaking about the Slot Trumps report, Stian Enger Pettersen, Head of Casino at EveryMatrix, revealed that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the company, and this report is also a celebration of its activity. “The Slot Trumps series is the ultimate set of behavioural data for online casino professionals to gain the edge in fast growing or soon-to-be regulating markets such as Brazil.”

Source: “Creating bonus strategies for Brazil’s thrill seekers“. iGaming Business. September 28, 2023.

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