The Gambling Commission has announced a “new and improved” Consumer Voice framework, which the regulator said marks a “major step forward” in how it understands lived gambling experience.
The regulator has contracted four research companies, all on two-year contracts, to provide additional understanding as to how UK consumers are engaging with gambling.
Yonder Consulting, Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), Humankind Research and Savanta will all have the option to extend their contracts with the Gambling Commission through to 2029.
The Gambling Commission said the quartet would allow it to gain greater consumer insight, especially from “underrepresented or harder-to-reach groups”.
Those include people gambling on specific products, certain demographics and individuals suffering from gambling-related harm.
Yonder, which was founded in 2020, has worked with the likes of Formula One and Marks & Spencer, and the Gambling Commission noted the firm had expertise in mixed methodology research.
BIT was originally established by the UK government in 2010 before becoming independent in 2014, and has previously conducted gambling research such as explorations into slots ads.
Humankind was praised by the regulator for its ability to focus on those “harder-to-reach groups”. The company has worked with the NHS, Oxfam, Unicef and Nike in the past.
Finally, Savanta, which has more than 500 employees, was highlighted for its “fast-turnaround, cost-effective research”.
The expanded research capabilities come off the back of the Gambling Commission’s work with Yonder on its Path to Play research project, which kicked off in late 2022.
In 2024, the regulator said Yonder had engaged with more than 10,000 gambling consumers, with topics since 2022 including financial risk checks, bonuses and spend during the cost-of-living crisis.
The Gambling Commission added that the expanded Consumer Voice programme would complement the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).
Laura Carter, Gambling Commission head of research, said the new framework would give the regulator “greater agility and reach than ever before”.
She added: “With these four partners, we’re better equipped to commission high-quality research quickly and use a range of approaches to respond to emerging trends or risks as they develop.
“The Consumer Voice programme is central to our efforts to ensure our decisions are grounded in the lived experiences of all consumers and the evolving realities of gambling.”
The post Gambling Commission unveils “new and improved” Consumer Voice programme first appeared on EGR Intel.
Regulator taps four research firms to support consumer engagement, with the new model marking an expansion on its existing Path to Play framework
The post Gambling Commission unveils “new and improved” Consumer Voice programme first appeared on EGR Intel.