Bank gambling blocks: how firms can improve the support available to customers

Back in 2017, Money and Mental Health called for current account providers to introduce a Bank Gambling Block (BGB) which allows people to block all gambling transactions on a current account card. 

Monzo and Starling were two early adopters of the tool – and much of the rest of the market soon followed suit. Our analysis in 2024 found that around 81% of the top 21 current account providers now offer gambling blocks to customers. It’s a really useful barrier to future gambling for many customers, including people who have previously experienced gambling harm. 

As part of the Gambling Harms Action Lab, we’ve been talking to current account providers about how they can build new tools or improve existing solutions to support customers at risk of or experiencing gambling harm. Last month, we tested user journeys for the Bank Gambling Blocks to better understand how these tools are working in practice. 

Mystery shopping 

We tested the apps of 11 current accounts to understand just how easy it was to find BGBs for customers. In our analysis, there were three recurring themes: 

Firstly, locating a BGB: how easily you could find and turn on a BGB varied greatly depending on which of the 11 current account providers you banked with. Previous research with our  Research Community has shown that almost six in ten respondents had never heard of a Bank Gambling Block before. To utilise a BGB, someone needs to know about it first. 

Our previous research, coupled with the challenge in some instances of finding the BGB in-app, suggests there is a need for more frequent communication highlighting the tool to customers at risk of experiencing gambling harm. 

Secondly, signposting to external support services: all firms signposted to either Gamcare or the National Gambling Helpline, typically on gambling support webpages where people who may be experiencing harm may navigate to naturally or with tailored nudges from their bank. However, beyond the initial signposting on the bank’s webpage dedicated to gambling, not all of the 11 firms incorporated further signposting as part of the user journey to turning a BGB on. 

This misses a trick by not capitalising on a moment of positive behavioural change from someone seeking to introduce a barrier to gambling by repeating signposting around external support services and additional support. And thirdly, ease of user journey: some firms opted to use short, concise and accessible instructions for a BGB while others opted for larger blocks of text. We know from existing research with people with lived experience of mental health problems that large bodies of text or information can be challenging to process due to reduced cognitive function owing to the impact of existing mental health difficulties.

Building on these themes, we set out three recommendations for current account providers that could improve Bank Gambling Block journeys: 

1) Consider how effectively you’re promoting your BGB. All firms we tested have Bank Gambling Blocks in place, yet a majority of respondents don’t know the tool is available.

Banks and building societies should consider promotion in-app and via other channels to highlight the tool to all customers, increasing visibility and understanding of the support available with repeated signposting over time. 

2) Design the journey with end users in mind. Banks have engaged meaningfully with the topic of gambling harms over the last few years – often adding information that could be helpful for customers to webpages or in-app. However, this may have contributed to some journeys becoming very text-heavy and challenging to follow.

Firms should revisit the customer journey, ensuring that the steps to identifying and activating the BGB are clear, concise and easy to understand, with the aim of maximising support for those who seek to turn a Bank Gambling Block on. 

And 3) Signpost all customers who activate a BGB to external gambling support services. Opting to turn on a BGB is a hugely positive step for someone who may have been experiencing gambling harm by introducing a barrier to future gambling.

Firms should ensure that signposting of existing support services is automatically delivered to every customer and repeated across this journey for those who turn this functionality on. Reiterating the offer of support at this vital moment of change could lead to people accessing additional support that will better support them moving forward for recovery. 

At Money and Mental Health, we’re proud to have been the first organisation to call for Bank Gambling Blocks to be introduced. We’re delighted that this function is widely available – and we look forward to improved iterations of the design and delivery of the BGB to ensure that more people are able to access the support they need in the future.