Entain has deepened its commitment to its safer gambling strategy through a host of initiatives as the year has progressed. 

The FTSE100 gambling group’s approach to responsible gaming is best demonstrated by its membership of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), which last month outlined its ‘collective ambitions’ to foster a stronger culture supporting safer gambling across all European markets.

In a joint statement, Entain CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen, along with John Coates (joint CEO bet365), Jesper Svensson (Betsson AB), Henrik Tjärnström, (Kindred Group) and Patrick Jonker (MD of William Hill International).

“We believe that, as leading companies of Europe’s online gambling sector, we have a responsibility to take the lead in fostering a stronger culture of safer gambling across our sector and promoting a more sustainable future,” the CEOs forward statement read.

Additionally, on an internal level, Entain has introduced Player Panels, established by the firm to ‘give a voice’ to bettors, ensuring that their opinions are heard during the debates. 

Speaking to Martin Lycka on the Safe Bet Show earlier this year, Grainne Hurst, Entain’s Director of Corporate Affairs, explained the company’s use of Player Panels.

“They are doing that all off their own back, they don’t get paid for it,” she said. “They don’t have any financial benefit for maintaining the deal, but they do it because they like what they do as part of their entertainment, and they want to make sure that their voice is heard.”

Hurst also detailed Entain’s ARC safe gambling system, developed in cooperation with leading academics and consultancy firm EPIC Risk Management, enabling the company to establish the ‘right behavioural markers’ to look for in customers, better informing the approach taken to those who may potentially need help.

By taking this personalised approach, Entain is working to ensure that only customers who are at risk of gambling-related harm are affected, whilst the majority who simply enjoy a bet are free to pursue their pastimes.

Hurst added: “We’re really excited about the possibilities because we know that each of our customers have different playing preferences, habits, games that they like – therefore their experience with us is all personalised and we think that aren’t their play protection systems should be personalised.

“Again, this goes back to my point – we have a safety net in place through ARC for the small minority of customers that need it, but we don’t penalise the majority of those that enjoy our products safely and securely on a day to day basis.”

Source – Entain YouTube Channel