A mandatory loss limit is a step in the right direction

Researcher Ekaterina Ivanova has been researching gaming responsibility for the past four years at Stockholm University in a research project funded by Paf.

The research has focused on gambling, gaming limits, gaming behaviour, attitudes towards gaming tools and the likelihood of predicting gambling problems. Ekaterina believes that research into gambling problems is falling behind.

“We are falling behind with both prevention and treatment from a public health perspective. My colleagues would agree that gambling problems are not taken as seriously as, for example, alcohol abuse. This attitude is reflected, in return, on those affected by gambling – where it can still be seen more as a character problem for those people rather than a disease,” says Ekaterina Ivanova.

The research is built on real gaming data

In addition to giving the research financial support, Paf has also provided access to real data from Paf’s own online games. This gaming data has been used to carry out the analysis in the research.

“We are proud to have contributed to taking the research into gaming responsibility one step further. The research can help us all gain a better understanding of the tools and methods that are proven to provide better gaming responsibility,” says Daniela Johansson, Paf’s Deputy CEO and Chief Responsibility Officer.

Ekaterina’s research on the importance of voluntary gaming limits created headlines in the gaming industry in Europe because it called into question the effectiveness of voluntary gaming limits. According to the research, voluntary gaming limits have no noticeable effect on the intensity of gaming.

“Voluntary gaming limits just don’t seem to produce a desirable effect. All the collected research supports this fact,” says Ekaterina Ivanova.

Gaming protection must be effective

Gaming companies can continue to claim that they are responsible because the research on gaming responsibility is incomplete, although this fact also means that there is no concrete evidence to support the gaming responsibility tools being used.

“It is absolutely essential to prove that gaming responsibility tools have an effect and show how they make that effect. Otherwise the gaming companies can continue to market themselves as responsible, even though their tools are poor,” says Ekaterina Ivanova.

Paf’s mandatory loss limit might well be the right way to go.

“The mandatory loss limit that Paf has implemented is definitely a step in the right direction. Such a measure needs to be thoroughly tested,” says Ekaterina Ivanova.

Click here to read a summary of the research on voluntary game limits and here is a link to the full research report.