Here at iGaming Daily we thought it would be great to start looking a little closer into the topics that will be gracing the conference floor from 19th to 21st of September at SBC Summit Barcelona. 

And the panel session that we’ll be looking at today on iGaming Daily will take place on 21st September, 3pm local time, is titled – Betting on sustainability: the rise of ESG in iGaming. 

Joining James Ross to look deeper into the session and the topic at hand is Shelley White, CEO at the Responsible Gambling Council, who will be moderating said panel in Barcelona.

White kicked off the podcast by mentioning what she’s most looking forward to the most for the panel session at SBC Summit Barcelona and the unique qualities that each speaker brings..

“I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to chat with the three experts that are going to be on the panel. I’ve done work with Sophie Platts at Entain and she is brilliant with respect to the work that she’s done around safer gambling. I’m aware of the great work that Harald Pia and Gustav Hofsted are doing as well, and I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to meet with them and talk to them about what is going on in their worlds and hear about ESG from their perspective. I think what’s the most exciting thing about these panels and these conversations is the diversity of thought, and hearing about these really important topics from leaders who have different perspectives.”: Stated White 

Touching on diversity White expanded: “I think that the attendees who come to this session are in for a real treat because this is a very diverse panel with a broad range of experience. Gustav, as the Secretary General of the Swedish trade Association for online gambling, we’re going to get the opportunity here his perspective about working with regulators and operators for an organisation that works with Swedish consumers. Harold will offer his experiences in the brand and marketing side of the industry as the founder and CEO of Agitare Ag, and how his company views ESG and weaves it into their work and their clients’ work. For Sophie as the head of safer gambling and external affairs at Entain group, I’m looking forward to hearing about her experiences from the operator’s side, and how Entain works to ensure that they are looking at ESG when they are marketing consumers, and working with regulators, and the general public.”

White mentioned the industry’s shift towards social responsibility with the focus on inclusion in the workforce: “I’ve seen a tremendous increase in the industry talking about diversity, equity and inclusion and making this a real high priority over the last few years. It’s included into all aspects of the organisations, it’s included in their strategy. They see it as both an internal imperative in terms of recruitment and retention of employees of their workforce. They also understand it’s crucial with respect to understanding the needs, interests, values, culture and beliefs of their broad range of consumers.

It’s an absolute priority in terms of creating an inclusive culture where people belong and feel respected and valued. It’s also a priority for us in terms of the work that we do with the public.”: Stated White

White then discussed how she thinks the iGaming industry has shifted towards a sustainable growth model, and incorporated ESG factors into business practices.

“I see a lot in the online gambling industry adopting many of the safe sustainable development goals, that were developed by the United Nations.They’re looking at how they manage things like the environment, and managing climate change risks, as well as energy consumption, strategy and management, as well as resource depletion including water, and how they’re managing waste and pollution. It’s imperative for them in terms of their operations but they know that it’s also imperative to their customers as well.

There’s a myriad of opportunities within the S side of ESG. When you’re looking at working conditions and including worker health and safety and things like managing employee turnover and retention. We also already mentioned equity and diversity inclusion and how important that is.

Finally the G of it being governance, and looking at board composition to ensure that it’s diverse, that it has a good balance of women and men, as well as other ethnocultural and racial communities included. Also, looking at things like anti-bribery and Corruption, as well as money laundering what their tax strategy is, and then ensuring that there’s that integration of ESG in operations management, and that they have policies and practices on business, ethics and fraud.”: Stated White

The pair concluded the podcast with White pitching why people should attended her panel session at SBC Summit Barcelona, and what she’s most excited for.

“The attendees at SBC Summit Barcelona should come to this session because, ESG is going to become one of the most important strategic imperatives from an accountability and reporting perspective. For those operators and others who are interested in being a high performing organisation that has a very high profile, influence with employees, with customers, and with society. ESG is the best way for operators to demonstrate their commitment to being a good corporate citizen.”: Pitched White

White said: “Having the opportunity to be together with leaders in the industry, and having the opportunity to talk about the key issues that we’re facing, and what their perspectives are.” is what she’s most looking forward to.

To find out more about the panel session discussed in the podcast, along with SBC Summit Barcelona, click on the following links:
https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-barcelona/
https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-barcelona/agenda/?selectedSession=4s8hhsb7c7zg4rvy6fzx1sv6xr&selectedDay=1