Redefining harm: The role of data integration in understanding gambling behaviour

Leveraging digital footprints and data linkage offers a precise methodology to observe gambling-related harm, overcoming the limits of self-reporting and moving towards a holistic view of impacts on individuals. This approach, mirroring the efficiency of credit reference agencies, is not only feasible but has precedents in successfully integrating complex datasets to inform individual profiles. In their article, Newall and Swanson argue that player tracking systems can advance our understanding of gambling patterns, implementing harm reduction measures and evaluating these strategies 1. Their call for evidence of gambling-related harm for the population of gamblers is especially timely. Indeed, the scientific and policy communities alike have highlighted the urgent need for research into gambling at the national level 2, 3. Over a decade, research has shifted the focus of gambling studies from 'problem gambling', where harm is experienced by a small fraction of gamblers, to a public health approach 4-9. This is grounded in the view that gambling has the potential to cause harm to the population at large and that these harms cannot be addressed adequately through targeted intervention. It bears a strong resemblance to public health campaigns in the past 20 years, which are designed to address harms associated with sugar 10, alcohol 11, smoking 12 and obesity 13. Yet, despite calls from the scientific and policy communities for population level analyses of harm 2, 3, much of the gambling literature does not speak to this new approach. Instead it is often limited to cross-sectional self-report surveys and small (often clinical) samples. Newall and Swanson's 1 advocacy for a comprehensive tracking and analysis provides a framework for overcoming these limitations with empirical evidence from player tracking systems. This approach is needed for three reasons. First, self-reports of past expenditure are notoriously unreliable for even neutral spending categories 14, particularly in the domain of gambling 15, and memory biases are an established feature of disordered gambling 16. This significantly impairs our ability to draw conclusions about population-level harm from self-reports. Clinicians would not, for example, measure alcohol-related harm by asking consumers to report on the state of their livers. I see the use of data linkage as providing an opportunity to observe how people are adversely affected by their gambling. By leveraging player tracking data, we can surpass the inaccuracies inherent in self-report methodologies, offering a more reliable and objective measure of gambling behaviours and their consequences. Second, this reliance on clinical populations has severe implications for our understanding of public health. There is emerging evidence that, like alcohol, sugar and junk food, a prevention paradox exists within gambling harm 17, 18, such that the majority of cases of harm come from those in the population at low or moderate risk, and only a minority of cases come from the high-risk population 19. The implementation of player tracking systems could illuminate this paradox further by providing comprehensive data across the risk spectrum, thereby informing more effective public health strategies. Third, public health issues require upstream, population-level strategies for reducing and preventing harm. Although common for other issues of public health (e.g. alcohol, sugar and smoking), little is known about what population-level strategies are successful in reducing harm and preventing gambling addictions. By conducting randomised control trials, policymakers would be equipped with the necessary tools to design and implement upstream interventions, thereby enhancing the efficacy of public health interventions. To realise fully the potential of these systems, however, a concerted effort towards data linkage is necessary. Similar to how credit reference agencies provide a holistic view of an individual's financial behaviour without burdening the consumer, a unified database of gambling activity could offer unprecedented insights into gambling harm without the logistical and ethical complexities of player cards. Furthermore, adopting a model akin to credit reference agencies for gambling data could foster a seamless integration of operator, government and banking data, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of gambling dynamics and enabling targeted interventions. Although the implementation of comprehensive player tracking systems and data linkage might seem burdensome, it need not be so. The model used by credit reference agencies, which amalgamate data to offer a single customer view, serves as a prime example. The responsibility should lie with the profit generators—the gambling operators—to ensure a frictionless integration of data, prioritising harm reduction while minimising consumer inconvenience. Rather than focussing solely on creating a seamless experience for gamblers, this approach should aim to make responsible gambling practices an integral, yet unobtrusive, part of the gambling ecosystem. Newall and Swanson 1 begin their discussion by highlighting the progress made by gambling operators in developing a single customer view. Now, it is imperative to leverage this advancement to foster harms research, formulate evidence-based policies and improve consumer protection. The path forward is clear: by adopting a model that prioritises seamless data integration and places the onus on operators, we can significantly improve our understanding of gambling-related harm and implement more effective interventions. Naomi Muggleton is contributing to a research project funded by the Gambling Commission. The views expressed in this article are her own and do not reflect those of the Gambling Commission. Not relevant—no data aligned with this submission.