British Researchers Develop System for Measuring Games’ Potential Risks

Researchers at a British university have announced the development of a system for measuring whether a new gambling game poses a particular risk to potential gambling addicts. According to Dr. Richard Wood of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, the system was commissioned by lottery operator Camelot to be applied to its new games, such as scratch cards. Camelot has included the system as part of its bid to renew its contract to operate the U.K. lottery.

The risk criteria identified in the program, call "GAM-RISC," include the speed at which the game is played, how easy it is to play, and how much the player can win. Dr. Wood said that the purpose of the testing is to identify game features that should be modified before the game is offered to the public. GAM-RISC could be offered to other gambling operators in 2008.