Mindway AI is launching research into whether personalised customer interventions can actually change responsible gambling behaviour Led by Head of Strategic Programmes Will Mace, who joined the company in June after senior player-safety roles at evoke plc and Kindred Group, the project will examine how operators can use behavioural data to determine not only when a customer may be moving towards harmful play, but also which type of intervention is most likely to influence their behaviour.
The research comes as gambling technology becomes increasingly sophisticated at detecting potential risk, while the industry still has less evidence on what works once a warning sign has been identified.
The Line Between Detection and Intervention
Mindway AI’s GameScanner platform operates across more than 70 jurisdictions and analyses almost 16 million gamblers each month, primarily online. The system tracks behavioural indicators linked to increased risk, including unusually long sessions, chasing losses and impulsive transactions.
A risk alert, however, does not explain why a customer’s behaviour has changed or how they are most likely to respond. A generic safer-gambling message may therefore have limited impact, particularly when the customer’s behaviour differs significantly from their normal pattern. The research will explore the motivations behind different gambling behaviours and examine whether those insights can support more relevant customer interactions.
From Sending Messages to Measuring Results
Personalisation will be a central focus, particularly whether interventions based on recent activity or noticeable changes in gambling patterns can encourage customers to pause and reassess their behaviour.
Different customers may respond to different forms of communication, making testing essential. The study will compare intervention approaches to identify which produce measurable behavioural changes rather than simply confirming that a message was delivered. That distinction could become increasingly important as regulators and operators look for stronger evidence that safer-gambling measures are actually working.
Why It Matters Beyond Operators
As it stands, the project will cover online and land-based casinos and sportsbooks across Europe and North America, bringing together evidence from markets with different regulatory and cultural environments. Its findings could feed into a broader debate over how safer-gambling interventions should be judged. Compliance may traditionally centre on whether an interaction took place, but effectiveness raises a different question: did it make a difference?
Better evidence could help operators move towards more targeted customer protection while giving regulators a stronger basis for assessing which interventions genuinely reduce risky gambling.
