Flutter doubles annual safer-gambling interactions
Intervention leads 40% of Sky Betting & Gaming consumers to use at least one safer-gambling tool as behaviour shifts during pandemic
Flutter Entertainment has pledged to invest in safer-gambling initiatives across its international customer base.
Releasing its 2020 financial results, the FTSE 100 operator reported a doubling in the number of customers screened through safer-gambling interactions during the last 12 months.
Of these increased interactions, more than a third of Paddy Power Betfair customers went on to use one of the group’s safer-gambling tools, rising to 40% for Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG) consumers.
The operator revealed significant operational expansion in its existing safer-gambling teams, as well as an increase in investment in new RG-related technology.
Changes include an upgrade to predictive models being used in the UK & Ireland, Australia and across the PokerStars brand to monitor and track customer behaviour.
Looking at the US, Flutter improved cross-product safer-gambling capabilities through the migration of existing customers onto its proprietary account and wallet.
“Through these initiatives, we have significantly improved our ability to effectively identify and interact with customers who may be at risk,” reported the firm. “This ensures our continued focus on growing a sustainable and recreational customer base.”
Flutter has also agreed to allocate 20% of its UK TV and radio marketing budget towards safer-gambling messaging.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve been doing in this area during 2020 from a safer-gambling perspective,” said Flutter CEO Peter Jackson.
“The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges for us as a business and for society and we’ve put in place a whole suite of responses to make sure that we could address the change in customer behaviour that came about as a result of that.
“From a safer-gambling perspective, we’ve talked in the past about trying to engineer a ‘race to the top’ and make sure that all participants in the sector improve their safer gambling, and I’m delighted to see that many of our competitors seem to be up for the challenge.
“I think that can only lead to a better and more sustainable industry for everybody,” he added.
Flutter confirmed its preparations for the Gambling Act 2005 review, with Flutter UK & Ireland chairman Ian Proctor currently undertaking a review of the firm’s existing safer-gambling policies in anticipation of changes to come.
Last month, Proctor spoke at length about the operator’s new Affordability Triple-Step solution.