A recent study from Norsk Tipping has highlighted the effectiveness of proactive calls in curbing gambling tendencies among players at risk. This research, which analyzed the account data of 4,752 users targeted for duty-of-care calls over the period from 2022 to 2024, indicates that these tailored interventions can lead to notable decreases in gambling activity when proactive measures are taken early.
Norsk Tipping, Norway’s state-operated gambling authority, has been implementing care calls since 2015. Researchers focused on gambling behaviors by comparing the 12 weeks of activity before and after the care calls were made. The data revealed that 68.2% of participants answered at least one call attempt, while 57.3% were engaged in a successful call conversation.
The impact of these interventions was significant across several metrics. After receiving calls, participants exhibited reductions in days gambled, total wagers, net losses, theoretical losses, and the number of deposits. While the effect sizes ranged from small to moderate, they remained consistent across the board. Notably, the largest reductions were observed in the number of days gambled, net losses, and theoretical losses.
The research identified stronger reductions among players flagged by the operator's risk-assessment tool, Spillepuls. This included young players experiencing large losses, new customers with significant gambling activity, and those who were newly identified as high-risk gamblers. Customers who engaged in calls showed even larger reductions in gambling behaviors, tractable along the identified risk factors.
In terms of responsible gambling actions taken during the calls, 43.7% of participants decided to lower their loss limits, while 12.6% opted for self-exclusion and just 0.7% chose to take a temporary pause from gambling. The tendency to reduce loss limits was notably higher among self-referring players at 60.7% and was also prevalent among younger demographics.
Those who opted to reduce their limits during the calls demonstrated more significant declines in gambling activity compared to peers who did not make such adjustments. The study found that early indicators of risk—such as flags from Spillepuls, recent escalations in gambling behavior, and large losses among younger or new customers—were linked to greater engagement and more substantial gambling reductions.
On the other hand, customers with longstanding high-risk gambling patterns showed less responsiveness to a single call check-in.
The methodology for these calls involved reaching out to players who experienced large losses within particular age groups or were identified as having high losses upon registration. Furthermore, other signs of concerning patterns, as recognized by NT's Playscan tool, initiated these calls, supporting real-time assessments made by Spillepuls.
Trained staff conducted these calls using a motivational interviewing approach, attempting to connect with each customer up to three times to facilitate engagement and discussion.
