GVC and SkyBet Start a Responsible Gambling Campaign

Posted by Harry Kane on Thursday, June 6, 2019

Whilst some people may argue that the idea of responsible gambling seems like an oxymoron, it’s something that continues to drive the efforts of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

It certainly underpinned the organisation’s core strategic objectives through 2021, which focused on safeguarding vulnerable players and the reputation of the iGaming sector in the UK. At present, it’s estimated that more than two million people in the UK are either problem gamblers or at risk of addiction, and the UKGC wants to compel operators to become part of the long-term solution.

These efforts are starting to yield results in the industry too, with several brands stepping up to the plate and looking to drive the responsible gambling charge in the UK. But who are these brands, and what steps are they taking to protect the interests of players?

How Sky Bet and GVC Holdings Are Leading the Campaign

Parent company GVC Holdings is certainly at the forefront of this charge, with its numerous brands fast becoming ambassadors for responsible gambling in the UK.

These include big market sportsbooks like bwin and Ladbrokes and online casino platforms such as Foxy Casino and Party Poker, who have all introduced a range of features aimed at helping gamblers to control their online activity.

Such innovations are part of the GVC’s ongoing “Changing for the Bettor” campaign, which is aimed at blazing a trail for responsible gambling throughout the iGaming marketplace. Most recently, the firm announced a partnership with the Safer Online Gambling Group (SOGG) as a key part of this campaign, in order to raise awareness about gambling-related harm throughout the UK’s mental health network.

Whilst SOGG was only founded earlier this year, this non-profit organisation has pledged support for the GVC Holding’s campaign and the brand’s investment in the development of safer iGaming software.

In exchange, GVC have committed to funding the non-profit’s innovative digital therapy tools, which are currently in development and being designed to provide practical assistance for problem gamblers throughout the UK.

These tools could ultimately be rolled out nationwide, whilst it’s not difficult to imagine GVC Holding’s subsidiaries including these as part of their online gambling platforms in the future.

This type of progressive and mutually beneficial partnership is central to the future of responsible gambling in the UK, as it’s capable of providing practical assistance to bettors and creating tools that enable individuals to mitigate gambling harm.

SkyBet and Flint’s Idea for Responsible Gambling

Sky Bet is another iGaming brand that has done sterling work in the field of responsible gambling>, as back in 2017 it unveiled the industry’s first advert dedicated to this phenomenon.

This was the brand’s most successful ad ever, and it’s no surprise that they produced a follow-up in 2018 to promote new responsible gambling features such as deposit limits, cool-off-periods and profit and loss management tools (which enables customers to view their gambling habits in real-time and determine how much they’ve won and lost in specific time periods).

Since then, Sky Bet and their CEO Richard Flint have become extremely vocal supporters of the responsible gambling drive, and they’ve continued to invest heavily in the cause of safer gambling and awareness. The brand has also advocated for further change in the industry, whilst calling for fellow market leaders to proactively fund a nationwide network of gambling treatment centres.

Flint even goes further by suggesting that the iGaming marketplace hasn’t previously done enough to protect problem gamblers, with a single, NHS-funded addiction treatment centre open in London and a second due to open in Leeds shortly.

If Flint’s plan came to fruition, the £5.4 billion iGaming market would help to fund a number of additional centres in various locations throughout the UK, without the introduction of a statutory tax aimed at raising these funds.

Interestingly, this suggestion has raised some controversy amongst responsible gambling lobbyists and organisations, with some describing Flint’s comments as being insulting. The key criticism appears to be that treatment centres are a reactive solution that doesn’t tackle problem gambling at source, whilst simultaneously profiting from a marketplace that grew by a whopping 13.7% in the year ending March 2018.

The drive to introduce more proactive responsible gambling measures has already begun, however, whilst brands like Sky Bet have also admitted that the industry has previously encouraged punters to spend far beyond their means.

So, whilst there’s more to be done in terms of self-regulation and the prevention of gambling harm, there’s no doubt that the iGaming market is adapting quickly and that operators are becoming increasingly proactive when it comes to safeguarding their customers.

Our Final Overview

Online gambling operators in the UK currently help to fund the prominent charity Gamble Aware, whilst they also invested heavily in the development of the GamStop initiative (which gives bettors the option to exclude themselves from wagering and receiving online marketing materials).

Despite this, the British Medical Journal recently called for a mandatory tax to be introduced on the gambling sector, in order to source more funds and compel all brands to contribute a fixed amount to the construction of treatment centres. This is where charities and operators diverge, however, as the latter would prefer to organise funding between themselves and avoid the introduction of an arbitrary tax.

After all, operators are also preparing for a 6% RGD hike in the autumn, whilst those who are active online have also been hit by the government’s FOBT cap. As a result, they’re keen to become increasingly proactive in the protection of bettors and the funding of viable treatment centres, whilst also maintaining a healthy profit margin that enables them to reinvest.

Ultimately, this is an important balance for operators to try to strike, as without the necessary profits they cannot hope to invest in the development of responsible gambling tools and measures. It’s also important that charities recognise this, whilst also noting the progress that has been made in the industry during the last 18 months.

Make no mistake; the UKGC has let to a significant change in the industry since announcing its core strategic objectives through 2021, whilst compelling operators to assume more responsibility for the wellbeing of their players. This remains a slow process, however, and one that requires patience and collaboration on all sides.