Paf, owned by the Åland regional government, regularly lowers loss limits for players. This started with a blanket limit for all customers, but in 2022 the operator introduced limits for certain age groups.
Announced yesterday (4 March), the latest limits for players aged 25 and over will be set at €16,000 (£13,314/$17,070) within a 12-month period. Previously, players in this age group could lose up to €17,500 a year before the operator intervened. This measure was put in place in 2023.
Another amendment will see players aged between 20 and 24 hit with a new €6,000 a year loss limit, down from the €8,000 limit enforced last year.
However, the existing €1,800 limit will remain in place for the youngest group of players – those aged 18 and 19.
Limits apply to all games and gambling activities across Paf’s offering. Players can also set their own gaming limits at lower levels, but the mandatory loss limits cannot be exceeded.
“We want to be a sustainable entertainment company for our customers, for our employees and for our owners,” Paf CEO Christer Fahlstedt said in a statement. “We are now taking the next step towards more sustainable revenues.”
Paf loss limits could drop to €8,000
According to Paf, it remains the only international gambling company with mandatory loss limits for its players. Fahlstedt said the operator will continue to reduce limits over time. It is targeting a long-term €8,000 loss limit for players over 25.
Previously, loss limits at Paf were much higher. In 2019, players of all ages were able to lose up to €30,000.
“We are setting a standard for responsible gaming that is increasingly difficult for other companies to follow,” Fahlstedt said. “We haven’t reached where we want to be yet, we have a target for the future where the limit is €8,000 a year. But we need to make the reductions at a pace we can manage.”
Paf has also repeated its call for central deposit limits to help strengthen responsible gambling across the industry. The operator said this could be linked to the central self-exclusion registers in place across Europe.
“Centralised deposit limits that customers can set themselves and that apply across all gaming operators would significantly improve responsible gaming and minimise the problems that arise when customers jump between operators,” Paf deputy CEO and chief responsibility officer Daniela Johansson said.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sustainable-gambling/responsible-gambling/paf-reductions-yearly-loss-limits/
