Experts have reported that gambling operators are recruiting specialist staff to help them attract high-roller customers who are ready to lose large amounts of money. The revelations have raised concerns regarding the companies’ commitment to promoting safe and transparent gambling services to local people.
The schemes, aimed at luring affluent “VIP” customers, have been used by betting firms in a number of cases, in which problem gamblers have been offered multiple free gifts as they have been losing thousands of pounds. Unfortunately, according to an analysis made by The Guardian, gambling companies are not believed to have been planning to rein in the so-called “loyalty schemes”.
As said in an advert for a “VIP executive” to work at the online gambling business of Gala Bingo, the candidates for the job would be required to put their efforts into increasing the overall lifetime value of players, as well as the money spent as a contribution for the high-roller player base.
Applicants for the job have been told that they would be expected to get in contact with the VIP customers regularly, especially when it comes to players who have not used their accounts for some time and try to reactivate such dormant accounts. Apart from that, the job advert also says that staff members would be required to do this in correspondence to the responsible gambling guidelines.
Too Many Enticements Could Lure VIP Players into Gambling Addiction, Analysts Fear
One of the members of the Gambling with Lives charity organisation, Charles Ritchie, fears that the end of a player’s “lifetime value” could be the same as the end of a player’s lifetime. Mr Ritchie has shared that some predatory practices used by gambling operators to boost their customers’ spending could make people addicted to gambling, and suicide is considered highly correlated with problem gambling behaviour.
A former high-roller customer of Ladbrokes, Tony Parente, confirmed that he has been offered various enticements, including free football tickets and flight tickets, at the time when he placed bets of over £1 million using some stolen money. He further shared that the description of the job has not been compatible with responsible gambling, as the responsibilities for the job would clearly require from applicants to make sure players are encouraged to gamble more and more to sustain higher losses.
Gambling companies have not revealed what type of players are being constituted as VIP players but according to reports, some operators have certain net loss thresholds, above which players are given VIP status.
A spokesperson for GVC Holdings revealed that the company has been committed to providing its customers not only with a safe gambling environment but was also engaged with enhanced checks on its high-roller players’ affordability and sources of income. The spokesperson further noted that the operators’ VIP managers were subjects to extra training.
- Author
Olivia Cole
