Lottery games, including horse betting products, should be fun and entertaining, and never be designed to target minors or vulnerable individuals specifically.
Experts in charge of horse betting activities should work with corporate social responsibility (CSR) and responsible gaming professionals and use existing international models, such as the Assessment Tool to Measure and Evaluate the Risk Potential of Gambling Products (Asterig), when planning new games or other significant upgrades for horse betting products and services. This work will help reduce the situation occuring that the upgrade of a betting offer could increase the likelihood of gambling problems (“addictive potential”). At the same time, this can be further supported by easily integrating accountability measures into horse betting activities.
Competitive offerings
Within gambling activities, it is important for customers to understand and be interested in the products on offer and related services. Marketing teams also play a significant role in planning marketing messages about game offerings to customers. In addition to the operator’s own products, those responsible for marketing must also be familiar with the offerings of the larger gambling operators. It is also vital to ensure an adequate exchange of information and experience between WLA member lotteries operating in the field of horse betting at all times.
The marketing goal should be to provide players with interesting information that will increase sales and generate optimal gross gaming revenue. However, this must take place within the responsibility framework of the lottery.
Horse racing consists of two separate sports, gallop and trot. In several countries, only one of these sports is widely practiced, but in some countries (e.g., Australia, France, US), both sports are popular. The profiles of followers and players of galloping and trotting differ somewhat from each other, and this should be taken into account in the marketing of gaming companies. It is especially important in common pool-based horse betting of WLA lotteries.
Responsible offerings
Responsible gaming is also a virtuous asset for business since it helps to remove barriers to entry and drives new customers. Indeed, it is easier for a company to initiate a new-comer if the gambling activity is seen as safe and clean and has nothing to do with a form of addiction. When discussing gambling and responsibility, it is crucial to understand that gambling can be practiced healthily and is not necessarily synonymous with addiction. Gambling must therefore remain an emotional joy and should not lead to a compulsive activity that causes problems.
The betting operator must ensure, throughout the entire gambling experience and in all its gambling channels, that responsible gaming practices are at the heart of its horse betting operations and that the well-being of its customers is guaranteed.
WLA members must make sure that their horse betting products comply with applicable gaming laws and regulations in their respective jurisdictions. If irregularities are detected, the lottery must strive to find a solution as soon as possible. As the world of lottery and horse betting constantly evolves, regulators often need to update existing gaming compliance and may call into question some restrictive provisions. Ongoing dialogue with the regulator helps to better understand, the reasoning behind and purpose of the legal framework. Lotteries that have the opportunity to work closely with the regulator can provide valid and realistic input into the content of legislation and regulations.
WLA members must follow their player protection guidelines. The complete product portfolio, including horse betting, should be evaluated according to the level of risk of the players. Cooperation between different divisions is crucial. The legal and CSR teams should support marketing and product management to ensure that horse betting offers meet responsible gaming requirements.
For product development and marketing, evaluation tools are available to assess the risk potential of new products in advance and to measure the subsequent results achieved. Responsible lotteries always use such tools, for example, the French PMU uses the Asterig model to support its responsible operations. In cooperation with the university, Veikkaus Finland has developed a product development tool that measures responsibility.
Asterig model
The Asterig model was developed by Columbia University, New York. There are ten criteria for evaluating all types of bets (lottery, betting, casino games, etc.). These are weighted according to the risk of addiction, and five levels of risk potential are based on these ten criteria.
