The importance of the ICE Totally Gaming Conference which will be held in London from the 6th of February 2018 could not be clearer than saying you have to be there if you are in the game.

One of the most controversial subject that will be discussed is the use of “KYC” The role that data and technology play in the quest to identify problematic gamblers and manage risk, as well as to ensure operators are Gambling Commission compliant at all times.

The Gambling Commission recently announced its three-year strategy, which is widely seen as a crackdown on the industry. It will look at how emerging and dynamic customer and identity data can be combined with more traditional data and technology to identify problematic behaviour and enable responsible gambling.

Peter Murray, Head of Gaming at identity data intelligence specialist, GBG, and chair of the panel debate, said: “Responsible gambling is firmly at the top of the Commission’s agenda for the foreseeable future. It’s crucial that operators have full visibility and understanding of the tools that are available to them and how they can be combined to help support compliance with new, evolving regulations.”

“One of the aspects of the industry I am most critical of is the unwillingness or inability of stakeholders to share customer data. This will be propelled to the forefront of operators’ minds and I’m looking forward to putting it to the panel on the day.

“Nearly every other regulated industry shares data to ensure compliance and protect customers, but it is noticeably absent in ours. New laws, such as the self-exclusion scheme, should be used as an opportunity to explore and define the benefits of sharing customer data”.

Peter added: “Industry regulation is designed to tell us what we can and can’t do, however what we need to do is not always made clear, particularly in the case of responsible gambling which can be open to interpretation. As the use of identity and ‘know your customer’ data plays a key part in maintaining compliance we’re hoping to be able to help operators to navigate the regulatory changes.”

The ‘Big Data to Identify Problematic Behaviour and Enable Responsible Gambling’ panel debate will take place on 6th February.