Helping problem gamblers using BetBlocker with Duncan Garvie

What is BetBlocker?

BetBlocker offers blocking software – software to help people manage or restrict their access to online gambling services. A user can download the app and in less that 2 minutes can put in place a restriction that will prevent them from accessing any of the gambling operators on our list (over 82k domains and 1.5k apps).

Alongside the continuous block that other blocking softwares offer, BetBlocker offers a Calendaring feature. This allows the user to plan ahead and set the restriction to activate at the times they know they need some help. Want to make sure your bills are paid before you gamble? Set the block to activate for a week after each payday. Don’t want to be distracted while the kids are off school? Set your block to activate during the school holidays. The Calendaring service is more than a crisis management tool, it is intended to help people manage their gambling responsibly.

Why did you decide to create such a valuable and much needed product?

At the time that BetBlocker was conceived, I was the Dispute Manager for ThePOGG.com. For some time we’d been seeing an increase in the number of responsible gambling related complaints. We wanted to do more for the people contacting us and simply review their claim. So I started looking around to see what support services we could direct people to.

Blocking software was the an intuitive first step in my opinion, but I then realised that all of the blocking softwares that were available were commercial in nature, requiring users to pay to get help. I was not comfortable directing our users – many of who were already experiencing financial distress – to a service that they would have to pay for to get help.

After some internal discussion we decided to try to develop our own blocking software and distribute it free of charge. From that BetBlocker was born.

The iGaming industry might have some reputation that people don’t care as much about responsible gambling. How have you seen this change over the past 5 years?

As with all generalisations, that’s a very unfair view of a lot of people. The attitudes towards responsible gambling in the remote gambling industry are a spectrum. There are certainly some very cynical and ugly people working in this industry who look to exploit vulnerability and addiction for profit. At the other end of the spectrum there are people working within the industry who really care about reducing the harms. I would point to our Chief of Safer Gambling Partnerships, Pedro Romero, as someone who has worked for some of the biggest names in the gambling industry and who is more engaged with keeping players safe than anyone else I have known.

That said, I do feel that there has been a steady awakening within the industry in the last few years. Corporate ethoses are shifting with more of the big players realising that keeping their players safe is actually good for business.