Month: October 2021

The percentage for the period from 23 June to 20 September was the lowest since Kindred in February began publishing the share of revenue derived from harmful gambling as part of its ‘Journey towards zero’.

Kindred has set a target of reaching 0% of revenue from harmful gambling by the end of 2023.

The Q3 figure was down from 4.3% in the second quarter of 2021 and 3.9% in Q1, as well as 4.3% in the fourth quarter of Kindred’s 2020 financial year.

Kindred also noted that the percentage of players who saw an improvement after some sort of intervention from Kindred was 64.9%, which was lower than 76.9% in Q2, 76.6% in Q1 and 75.7% in Q4 of last year.

“Whilst we welcome this decrease, we do understand that we still have to work hard to further decrease this number. In line with our roadmap, our operational teams have worked to implement more proactive customer interactions, and this has resulted in an increase in the use of control tools to help customers stay in control,” Kindred chief executive Henrik Tjärnström said.

“We have also taken a more cautious approach towards the younger demographic, since this group is at a higher risk financially and is more prone to addiction. Therefore, we have set up tailored approaches to de-risk customers that are between 18-24 and we can already see the benefits from this action.”

Sunak is due to announce his Autumn Budget on 27 October and Dugher set out his hopes that it would include support for jobs in the gambling sector, as well as in other areas hit by the pandemic.

Land-based venues such as betting shops and casinos were forced to close completely or operate with restrictions for large parts of the pandemic, which in turn severely impacted their revenue.

However, with these venues now operating at full capacity again and making an increased contribution to the economy, Dugher said the industry is ready to play its part in Britain’s recovery from the pandemic. 

Dugher said that BGC members support 119,000 jobs, generate £4.5bn (€5.3bn/$6.2bn) in tax and contribute £7.7bn to the economy in gross value added. 

In addition, BGC members have pledged to create 5,000 apprenticeships by 2025 through their support for the government’s Plan For Jobs.

“Our members are ready, willing and able to assist in the post-pandemic economic recovery,” Dugher said. 

“They already support tens of thousands of jobs across the UK, helping to generate billions of pounds in revenue for the Treasury, and with ambitious plans for further expansion in the years to come.

“I therefore hope that the Chancellor delivers a Budget for jobs which will help to repair the damage done by Covid, sustain the economic recovery and – with the full support of the regulated betting and gaming industry – help Britain to build back better.”

SeventySix described Lucra as a “social-first” platform that enables “peer-to-peer, real-money gaming”. Lucra is currently available for adults to download via the iOS Apple App Store in 37 US states.

The venture capital company, which focuses on sports betting, technology and media start-ups, has joined a number of familiar figures from the sporting world in investing in Lucra.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The commission, which set a deadline of August 9 for applications, said that it had already ranked the bids by score – and selected the highest tax rate offered among the bidders.

The 64% rate would apply if the Commission selects four or five operator licenses, with contributions dropping gradually to 50% for between 10 and 12 operators and 35% for 13 or more. Fourteen operators have featured in the bidding process so far, although any that decline to conform with the new tax matrix will be cut from the process.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Caesars CEO Tom Reeg said: “Sandra is a proven leader, team builder, and passionate advocate for always doing the right thing.

“I’m pleased to add her independent voice to our strong board of directors. I look forward to working with her, the rest of our board, and the management team to continue to drive results for our guests, our team members, and our shareholders.”

Morgan previously worked as the city attorney for the city of North Las Vegas, in addition to serving on the Nevada Gaming Commission – the first African American to do so.

Gary Carano, executive chairman of the board of Caesars Entertainment, added: “We are delighted to add Sandra Douglass Morgan to the Caesars Entertainment leadership team.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The unit will be led by Tom Dyson and aims to support online gaming operators by offering business services, such as acquisition and payments management.

Dyson has experience in team leadership and management positions, with companies such as Gambling Compliance, ProgressPlay and Gaming Realms.

“Our company is constantly evolving and developing, and with the addition of the Managed Services solution, we reached another important milestone,” said Stian Hornsletten, COO and co-founder of EveryMatrix.

“I am sure Tom Dyson will do a great job leading the talented and brilliant team responsible for this project.”

The Managed Services unit also offers outsourced options for online casinos and sportsbooks, including marketing, product management and bonus abuse monitoring support.

“Marketing is among the largest costs for an iGaming operator so it’s vital that these businesses optimise the effectiveness of their marketing spend to achieve growth in one of the most competitive corners of the internet.” said Dyson. “Because of this, and the labyrinth of regulatory challenges presented to the modern operator, many traditional marketing agencies struggle to make the most of their client’s budgets.”

“Our new team can solve this problem by combining our industry experience and unrivalled product expertise but most importantly through a shared measure of success with our clients.”

Revenue from Caesars Entertainment, DC Lottery’s Gambet brand and BetMGM was up from $1.5m in August and edged out the previous record of $3.6m set in November last year.

The $20.7m handle for the month was also comfortably higher than the $12.8m wagered by consumers in August and surpassed the existing record of $19.5m set in July this year.

Breaking down the performance by each operator, Caesars, which runs an online mobile sportsbook in DC and a retail sportsbook facility at the Capital One Arena, saw gross gaming revenue from sports betting reach $3.2m in September, off handle of $16.2m. This sportsbook was previously operated by William Hill but rebranded after Caesars acquired the UK-based operator.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Balancing frictionless customer onboarding, responsible gaming requirements and financial crime compliance obligations provides the gambling industry with a unique challenge. 
 
Join us to learn more about best practices to implement an efficient compliance programme while ensuring a seamless customer journey and strengthening your competitive advantage. 
 
Our panel of experts will discuss:  

The impact of an effective risk-based approach on the customer journey How to leverage compliance as an enabler How to be regulator ready 

Speakers:

Katarina Pranjic, Solutions Consultant – EMEA, LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Tom Holmes, Key Account Manager, Gaming, LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Manfred Galdes, Managing Director, ARQ

This webinar is sponsored by Accuity. 

Watch previous webinars here.

Under the deal, QPR will raise awareness of the tools and resources available to those who wish to self-exclude from online gambling via GamStop.

This will include dedicated matchday and programme advertising space for GamStop, as well as sharing GamStop animations and information across the club’s social channels and the website.

In addition, club and QPR in the Community staff will be given training on the GamStop platform and other gambling resources, allowing them to offer help and advice to fans.

“QPR have been incredibly proactive in launching this partnership with GamStop, and we are delighted that the club will be using its extensive platform to raise awareness of the tools that are available to those who may be experiencing gambling-related harm,” GamStop chief executive Fiona Palmer said.

QPR’s commercial director Euan Inglis added: “We are delighted to enter into a partnership with GamStop – the free, UK-wide self-exclusion scheme that enables gamblers to put blocks in place to restrict their online gambling activities.

“Our current betting partner Tebwin are fully integrated with GamStop and will work with the club with this initiative. We are very mindful of getting the message across about responsible gambling.”

Launched in March as an initial 12-month pilot scheme, the initiative was aimed at offering support and services to people who suffer from gambling problems in Great Britain.

This includes a combination of personal support via GamCare’s trained advisers, free access to Gamban blocking software that can be installed on multiple devices and signposting to register for the GamStop free self-exclusion scheme.

According to a study by market research company Ipsos Mori, people who have made use of all three layers of this support reported a lower appetite to gamble and also a reduction in gambling-related harms.

Ipsos Mori also found that awareness of the campaign was found to have increased among people who need it most, with knowledge of the free tools and support particularly high amongst those whose gambling was considered problematic.

In addition, Ipsos Mori founded the layered approach gave people looking to stop gambling a positive state of mind, with those surveyed saying the option to use multiple tools altered their perceptions about accessing gambling sites, viewing them as big obstacles to visiting betting sites and subsequently reducing their appetite to gamble.

“Since the TalkBanStop campaign started there has been huge value in the collaboration of the three partners, all of which have a shared aspiration in reducing gambling harms,” GamCare chief executive Anna Hemmings said.

“What we’ve seen through the pilot is the ability to share best-practice with one another and provide the tools and support to make it as easy as possible for people to get help in one place.

“We believe the impact of our interventions, layered together, amplifies the effects of the others for the individual in recovery, just as our coming together as organisations has multiplied our efforts to achieve greater impact. Going forward, we want TalkBanStop to become normalised as a first port of call for anyone looking to stop or control their gambling.”