UK Gambling Commission unveils next-gen Consumer Voice research model
The UK Gambling Commission has announced a major expansion of its Consumer Voice framework, a project designed to give greater weight to the lived experiences of gambling consumers in shaping national policy. This represents a notable step forward in how the UK Gambling Commission sources behavioural insights. It brings in four new research partners, each with distinct expertise, to support targeted investigations into gambling behaviour, motivations, and harm. The shift aims to deepen the Commissions understanding of how real-world players interact with gambling products, especially those from underrepresented or harder-to-reach groups.
Four new partners to deepen insight into player behaviour
Yonder Consulting, The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), Humankind Research, and Savanta will now support the revamped programme; each signed a two-year contract with possible extensions through to 2029.
Laura Carter, Head of Research at the UK Gambling Commission, said the new framework would give the regulator greater agility and reach than ever before, enabling it to commission high-quality research quickly and respond to emerging risks as they develop.
The suppliers bring complementary strengths:
- Yonder Consulting are mixed-methods research specialists who have worked with the Commission since 2021.
- BIT brings expertise in experimental research and behavioural science.
- Humankind Research focuses on qualitative insight from vulnerable and underserved groups.
- Savanta provides rapid, cost-effective research using both quantitative and qualitative tools.
These partnerships complement wider reforms to the Gambling Commissions national research strategy, including long-awaited updates to the Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB).
How the Gambling Commission is tracking sentiment beyond surveys
Consumer Voice, unlike the nationally representative Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), offers flexibility and adaptability. It enables the regulator to examine specific issues in depth, test new ideas, and monitor sentiment over time and across demographics. Topics previously explored include financial risk checks, bonus incentives, trust in the industry, and gambling during the cost-of-living crisis. In 2024 alone, over 10,000 participants took part. This complements the Gambling Commission’s ongoing pilot of frictionless financial risk checks.
Hearing harder truths from harder-to-reach groups
Joe Wheeler, Associate Director at Yonder, said the firm had helped the Commission examine trust in the industry, engagement with the unlicensed market, and behaviours during major sporting events.
Eleanor Collerton from BIT added: Were excited to use experimental methods to generate new insights and ensure consumer voices shape meaningful and effective gambling policy.
Tom Silverman of Humankind Research said it was a fantastic opportunity to use inclusive research approaches on complex issues, while Savantas Olly Wright emphasised the ability to stay on the pulse of consumer opinion and behaviours.
Gambling behaviour is no longer linear
This latest expansion builds on over two years of work between the Gambling Commission and Yonder Consulting, including the development of the Path to 바카라 framework, a behavioural journey model that tracks how consumers enter, interact with, and respond to gambling over time.
Research has exposed clear blind spots in how trust, incentives, vulnerability, and social context affect gambling behaviour, especially in times of financial stress. Notably, insights reveal that experienced and novice gamblers approach promotions in markedly different ways. At the same time, emerging observations suggest that female players may engage in more strategic and discreet ways, especially around major events like the Euros.
With gambling journeys becoming faster, flatter, and more fragmented, the Consumer Voice programme aims to map what really influences play before the harm is done.
For operators, the reframes the way in how policy is developed, not just through statistics but also through sentiment. The Gambling Commissions approach is becoming more grounded. For the sector, staying ahead may mean listening harder, too.
