Evaluation of the Credit Card Ban
About the evaluation
Can you help us to evaluate the ban on using credit cards for gambling? Have you gambled with a credit card before or after April 2020? Have you been affected by someone else’s gambling with a credit card before or after April 2020? How has the COVID-19 pandemic interacted with the ban?
Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (GREO), on behalf of the Gambling Commission, has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to evaluate the ban on use of credit cards for gambling.
The credit card ban was introduced in April 2020. The research is important in helping the Gambling Commission to understand how the ban was implemented, any anticipated and unanticipated consequences of the ban, how gamblers and those affected by gambling have experienced the ban. We are also researching how much, if at all, the credit card ban has changed gamblers’ behaviours, what impact the ban has had on gambling harms, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has interacted with the credit card ban.
The evaluation includes different forms of research with people who implemented the ban, with people who provide support to gamblers, and with people who have gambled with credit cards or have been affected by others gambling with credit cards:
- Interviews with staff from gambling operators and financial companies involved in implementing the ban.
- An online survey with gamblers asking about gambling with credit cards and about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Interviews with gamblers who have ever used a credit to pay for gambling.
- Interviews with people who have been affected by someone else’s gambling with a credit card, for example a spouse or partner, a family member, friend or colleague.
Why should I take part?
The research is important in helping the Gambling Commission understand which aspects of the credit card ban have worked well or less well. By taking part you will also add to understanding what can be improved about the ban in the future.
What will taking part involve?
- Interviews with gamblers: this will involve discussing with a member of the research team your views and experiences of gambling and of using a credit card to pay for gambling.
- Interviews with people affected by other people’s gambling: this will involve discussing with a member of the research team your experience of other people’s gambling and any changes or impacts on you since the credit card ban was introduced.
We will arrange the interview for a date and time that is convenient for you and you can decide if it is done by telephone or online video call. The interview will take around an hour in total. As a small thank you for your time we will give you a £20 shopping voucher after the interview is finished.
Who is carrying out the research?
This research is being carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).
NatCen is the UK’s leading independent social research agency. We’re proud to have been carrying out research on behalf of government, charities and other organisations for over 50 years.
We are a non-profit organisation, completely independent of government departments and political parties.
Why have I been chosen?
If you have taken part in an online survey about your own gambling and we have contacted you, that is because you kindly gave your consent for us to get in touch with you about taking part in further research.
If you have been affected by someone else’s gambling and you have either been contacted on our behalf by a gambling support organisation or have seen a post about this research on social media then we will not have your contact details until you get in touch with us.
How will you use what I say?
We will write a report about the views and experiences that you and others have spoken about together with the results of surveys on gambling, for GREO and the Gambling Commission to use in their policy on the credit card ban. The report may also be published on their website at the end of the evaluation. We will make sure the report does not identify any individual gambler or person affected by others’ gambling. The research staff will check you are comfortable with your contribution at the start and end of the interview and you can contact us to edit or remove your contribution within two weeks after you provide it (see the privacy notice for more details about your data protection rights).
Participant Information Sheet: Gamblers
Find out more about the study here.
Participant Information Sheet: People affected by the gambling of others
Find out more about the study here.
Privacy notice
In this privacy notice, we explain the legal basis for data processing, who will have access to your personal data, how your data will be used, stored and deleted, and who you can contact with a query or a complaint.
Contact us
If you would like to take part in a confidential interview or would like to hear more about the research before deciding, please contact us at ccban-project@natcen.ac.uk or on 0207 549 7135 and let us know the best phone number to reach you on.
We will arrange a quick phone call to tell you more about what taking part will involve, to take a few details about you, to answer any questions you may have about taking part, and to arrange a date and time for the interview if you would like to go ahead with it.