Responsible Gambling: Meeting Regulations & Protecting Players

Setting KPIs for Responsible Gambling Initiatives

Responsible gambling initiatives are integral to fostering a safe and sustainable gambling environment, particularly within the framework of gambling laws, internet gambling, and online gambling laws. Establishing clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of these initiatives and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Metrics can vary based on the objectives of the program but often include:

• Player Self-Exclusion Rates: Monitoring the percentage of users who voluntarily exclude themselves to prevent excessive gambling, an essential aspect of adhering to online gambling laws.
• Usage of Limit-Setting Tools: Tracking the adoption rates of deposit, time, and loss limits by players, which supports compliance with gambling laws governing responsible player behavior.
• Intervention Success Rates: Measuring the success of interventions with high-risk players, such as reductions in gambling intensity after receiving targeted communications, a critical requirement in the regulation of internet gambling platforms.
• Player Feedback Scores: Collecting and analyzing feedback from users regarding the usability and effectiveness of responsible gambling features to ensure operators meet their obligations under online gambling laws.

These KPIs not only provide measurable outcomes but also serve as benchmarks for continuous improvement. They enable operators to identify trends, address gaps, and refine their approaches to ensure the well-being of their users while maintaining compliance with gambling laws and ensuring a safer environment for internet gambling participants.

Regular Audits and Reporting

Regular audits are indispensable for ensuring that responsible gambling measures remain effective and compliant with regulatory standards. Audits should cover:

• System Integrity Checks: Evaluating the reliability of self-exclusion databases and limit-setting functionalities.
• Employee Training Assessments: Ensuring that staff members are adequately trained to identify and manage problem gambling behaviors.
• Regulatory Compliance Reviews: Verifying adherence to jurisdiction-specific guidelines and policies.

Reports generated from these audits should be transparent and comprehensive, detailing successes, challenges, and areas for improvement. Sharing these findings with stakeholders, including regulators, demonstrates a commitment to accountability and fosters trust within the industry.

How Are Requirements for the Responsible Gaming Fulfilled?

The results and achievements of the company, as well as its priority areas for development, are reflected in their annual reports. We have analyzed the reports of several companies for mentions of responsible gambling. The key points from these reports are presented below.

Is must be said that all reports have the same structure. There are some adjacent points which are found in each of them:

1. Safer gambling tools: Companies leverage advanced technologies to enhance player monitoring and control, ensuring tools and measures align with evolving regulatory requirements.Risk assessment models are developed to score and segment players by risk level, enabling personalized monitoring and targeted interventions.
2. Compliance and regulations: Compliance with betting, gaming, and responsible gambling legislation is prioritized across all operational territories, supported by regular assessments and external audits.
3. Laws: Efforts focus on maintaining adherence to anti-bribery, corruption, and gaming regulations to uphold a safe and responsible gambling environment.

We randomly selected four companies and sought all the information related to compliance with online gambling requirements and gambling laws.

Playtech

The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Its financial report was prepared in compliance with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidelines​. Notably, in Canada, NorthStar Gaming Inc. (a subsidiary) operates under a license issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)​

The company focuses on advancing safer gambling and player protection. It supports licensees with technology to enhance responsible gaming practices. An example includes the implementation of “BetBuddy,” Playtech’s AI-enabled safer gambling technology, launched with new brands. This tool evaluates responsible gambling interactions with at-risk players

Flutter Entertainment

The company licensed in various jurisdictions worldwide, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, Italy and in several other countries. The report demonstrates the following statements:

Key Actions and Initiatives:

1. Regulatory Engagement:
   • In the US, FanDuel worked closely with state regulators and positioned itself as a leader in responsible gaming standards. The company collaborated with Responsible Gaming Ambassadors, professional sports leagues, and team partners.
   • In the UK, Flutter constructively engaged with the Gambling Commission of Great Britain and stakeholders as part of the consultation process following the Gambling Act Review White Paper.
2. Tools and Awareness Campaigns:
   • Expanded the use of its “Play Well” tools, increasing user adoption from 8.6% to 16.6%.
   • Promoted responsible gaming tools like deposit, wager, and time limits through marketing campaigns, including “The System” TV creative and a collaborative campaign with the NBA and other operators targeting young bettors.
3. Employee Training and Culture:
   • Held the second annual Play Well Day to educate and engage employees about the responsible gaming strategy, recognizing Responsible Gaming Champions within the company.
   • Reorganized its Sustainability and Responsible Gaming team to report directly to FanDuel’s company President and appointed a new Vice President with extensive government and private sector experience to lead the initiative.
4. Community and Research Support:
   • Donated $100,000 to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Agility Grants program, funding initiatives like problem gambling prevention for the deaf and hard of hearing.
   • Supported research into gambling behavior through partnerships with the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG).
   • Launched an educational course in partnership with Front Office Sports to raise awareness of responsible gaming among sports professionals.
5. Ambassador Program: Expanded the Responsible Gaming Ambassador Programme with high-profile advocates such as Carli Lloyd, Tom Kim, and Rob Gronkowski, who actively promoted tools like deposit, wager, and time limits and engaged fans through podcasts and events.

The UKI division, responsible for 25.8% of fiscal 2023 revenue, has experienced an estimated £150 million annual revenue loss due to player protection measures implemented during the UK Gambling Act review. Additional proposed measures could further impact revenue by £50–£100 million annually, bringing the total potential loss to £200–£250 million.

Entain

The company fulfills its responsible gaming requirements through a comprehensive approach that combines customer-focused initiatives, governance, and advanced technological solutions. The company integrates responsible gaming into its policy and emphasized it in the report:

Key Measures and Initiatives:

1. Entain tailors its responsible gaming efforts to individual customer needs through its industry-leading ARC™ Safer Betting and Gaming Programme. This program emphasizes customer protection, providing tools and measures to ensure a safe betting experience.
2. Entain actively engages customers with responsible gaming messages, especially during initiatives like Responsible Gambling Week, where its websites and social media channels promote safer gaming practices.
3. Performance metrics for responsible gaming are integrated into the Group-wide annual bonus structure, with a 15% weighting. The metrics for 2023 were externally assessed by EPIC Risk Management, and the Board determined that these metrics were met.
4. Entain leverages technological advancements to improve controls and monitor player behaviors, ensuring that its tools and measures align with evolving regulatory guidance.

Evoke plc

Evoke demonstrates a comprehensive commitment to responsible gaming through a variety of strategic initiatives, governance measures, and collaborative efforts. The company’s report emphasizes player protection, awareness, and compliance, while also contributing to broader societal goals.

Key Measures and Initiatives:

1. Safer Gambling Tools and Interactions:
   • Over 1.3 million safer gambling messages were sent to players across all brands based on individual behaviors.
   • Proprietary Control Centre features, including enhanced safer gambling tools like profit and loss tracking, were rolled out to over 70% of customers on the 888 platform across various jurisdictions.
   • In UK retail shops, more than 127,000 customer interactions took place, focusing on affordability checks and discussions about safer gambling.
2. Awareness Campaigns and Employee Engagement:
   • Actively supported Safer Gambling Week 2023 by delivering global safer gambling messages through websites, shop displays, social media, and customer communications. Internal events and workshops featuring personal stories about gambling harm reinforced employee understanding.
   • Hosted live webinars with company leadership and gambling harm experts to highlight the Group’s safer gambling approach and employee roles in ensuring a safe environment.
3. Research, Education, and Treatment (RET):
   • Donated over £10 million to gambling harm-related charities, including £6 million to GambleAware, as part of a four-year commitment.
   • Funded two key projects:
     • Horse Racing Industry Education: Collaborated with EPIC Risk Management to deliver gambling harm education sessions, reaching over 800 industry professionals in 2023.
     • Armed Forces Gambling Support Network: Partnered with charities to pilot a two-year program raising awareness and providing support to the armed forces community.
4. Governance and Training: Safer gambling is a core pillar of the company’s ESG framework and is overseen by a dedicated committee that receives regular updates on progress and strategies.
5. Customer Journey Personalization:
   • Developed models to score and segment players by risk level, enabling tailored monitoring and interventions to ensure a safe gambling environment.
   • Continued adapting its approach to align with the UK government’s White Paper recommendations.
6. Performance Metrics and Accountability: Safer gambling forms part of the company’s executive bonus structure, with 10% of the ESG scorecard (weighted 50% towards safer gambling) tied to these efforts. The CEO and CFO’s bonuses are linked to achieving safer gambling and ESG goals.

The companies analyzed—Playtech, Flutter Entertainment, Entain, and Evoke—fulfill responsible gambling requirements by integrating compliance with gambling laws and online gambling regulations into their operations. Governance plays a critical role, with dedicated committees, board-level training, and the integration of responsible gambling metrics into performance evaluations and executive incentives. There are common initiatives.

What about difference in their efforts to make player more responsible? To sum up all report is should be conclude that each company tried to do something. They donated millions dollars, made social events, implemented RG tools, expanded the staff by new employees. Does it really work ans safe youth from addiction? There is a topic for another research and on this step we can conclude that all treated companies comply with the requirements for responsible gambling and reflected in the annual reports.

Transparency with Stakeholders

Transparency is a cornerstone of effective responsible gambling strategies. Regularly sharing progress on these initiatives not only builds credibility but also encourages collaborative improvements. Key practices for transparency include:

• Publishing Annual Reports: Providing detailed insights into the outcomes of responsible gambling measures, supported by data and case studies.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Conducting forums or meetings to discuss findings, gather feedback, and set future goals.
• Public Updates: Issuing regular updates on platforms accessible to the public, highlighting milestones and enhancements in responsible gambling efforts.

By maintaining open communication with stakeholders, operators can reinforce their commitment to ethical practices and proactively address societal concerns regarding gambling.

Conclusion

The analysis of annual reports from Playtech, Flutter Entertainment, Entain, and Evoke highlights their comprehensive efforts to fulfill responsible gambling requirements under existing gambling laws and online gambling laws. Each company has implemented a combination of advanced technologies, governance measures, awareness campaigns, and community initiatives, reflecting a strong commitment to player protection and compliance with regulations governing internet gambling. From donating millions to gambling harm charities and introducing innovative responsible gambling tools to hosting social events and expanding specialized teams, these companies demonstrate a proactive approach to mitigating gambling-related harm.

However, the question remains whether these measures are sufficient to safeguard vulnerable groups, particularly youth, from addiction in the fast-evolving landscape of internet gambling. While the companies comply with online gambling laws and maintain transparency in their annual reports, the true effectiveness of their efforts in addressing broader societal concerns requires further research. At this stage, we can conclude that all analyzed companies meet the necessary requirements and are actively engaged in fostering a safer and more responsible online gambling environment.