EASG 2024 Conference: The Culture of Responsible Gambling in Italy

Rome, September 11, 2024 – Fondazione FAIR presented its new research on Responsible Gambling at the EASG 14th European Conference on Gambling Studies to promote a safer future for gambling and betting.

The research, titled "The Culture of Responsible Gambling in Italy: Knowledge, Opinions, and Experiences of the Public", was carried out in collaboration with the social research institute Eumetra and marks a significant step towards a future where Responsible Gambling is understood and practiced at all levels of society.

The main objective of the research was to understand how the population – both players and non-players – perceives the concept of Responsible Gambling and the protective tools available.

The collected data clearly shows the need for a change in the approach to player protection. A change that can only be realized through collaboration between sector operators, institutions, and stakeholders.

During the EASG event, Professor Matteo Caroli, President of Fondazione FAIR, presented the key findings. The sample of over 2,000 people, including players and non-players, revealed the levels of knowledge about Responsible Gambling and protection measures. The research also explored opinions on the Legislative Decree for the reorganization of online gaming (art. 15) and public interest in learning more.

This research is only the first step. The goal is to bridge existing gaps through active collaboration among all involved parties. Only by working together can we bring Responsible Gambling to the forefront of the sector’s evolution.

FAIR’s participation in the EASG, Europe’s most important conference, represents the foundation’s international debut and reaffirms its commitment to creating culture and awareness about Responsible Gambling, in addition to promoting constructive dialogue with public institutions, industry operators, and social actors regarding listening, research, and innovation in the field of Responsible Gambling.

Highlights of the results presented:

• There is a significant cultural divide between players and non-players regarding Responsible Gambling: 70% of players know the concept, have heard of it, and associate it with controlled, rational, and protected gaming. 54% of them are interested in learning much more about it.

• Non-players, not being familiar with this concept, consider it useless, mainly a marketing operation, and are not interested in learning more or exploring it further.

• Players who engage for fun, pastime, thrill/adrenaline are aware of their responsibility in how they play, equal to that of the Legislator, but also see it as a shared responsibility among actors. Operators are attributed less responsibility.

• The perception is that little is being done on this issue, and expectations for action are high.

• There is considerable room for improvement in protection tools, which players claim to know (but in a fragmented way), and as a result, they use them sparingly.

• There is little knowledge of the legislative decree (art. 15): 18% of players and 4% of non-players have heard of it. The law is seen as potentially effective if implemented effectively and concretely.