Kindred Group champions uptake of RG tools during major tournaments
Unibet parent company has revealed its voluntary gambling tools have been used by more players after each of the last two major international football tournaments than before the competitions took place
Kindred Group has pointed to an increasing usage of its safer gambling tools during major tournaments with Euro 2024 now well underway.
The Stockholm-listed group has reiterated its desire to enhance player safety via its ‘journey towards zero’ initiative, which aims to ensure that over time, 0% of Kindred’s revenue should come from harmful gambling.
As detailed in a blog post written by head of global affairs Tom Banks, the operator has noted the rise in activity on its sites during the tournament will put Kindred’s responsible gambling tools to the test, and that previous findings have been promising in recent tournaments.
During the 2022 World Cup, Kindred recorded an increase in the number of players using voluntary safer gambling tools.
Prior to the tournament, which was held in November and December of that year, 45% of the company’s UK-based bettors had at least one voluntary tool activated on their account. Come the end of the World Cup, that figure had risen to 57%.
During Euro 2020, just 20% of players had responsible gambling tools in place on their account, meaning there was a 185% increase when compared to the World Cup that took place 18 months later.
It was a similar story for bettors aged under 25, of whom, 40% were using voluntary safer gambling tools before the 2022 World Cup. By the time the tournament had concluded, that demographic had increased its usage to 58%, a 346% rise from the group’s figure in Euro 2020 of 14%.
Banks explained technological advances are responsible for ensuring the operator is able to continue to improve its Player Safety Early Detection System (PS-EDS), as well as meaning those who do gamble safely aren’t hindered by targeted interventions reserved for those who may be gambling harmfully.
He added that trying to tackle the problem of gambling-related harm is one that “requires complex solutions”, before heralding Kindred’s ability to take decisive action swiftly and insisting the operator is well-placed to tackle any problem gambling issue that arises during the forthcoming busy summer of sport, starting with Euro 2024.
Banks said: “This risk-based approach is critical in our focus to reduce gambling-related harm. The over-simplification of the debate at times can be challenging – this is a complicated issue and requires complex solutions.
“For example, the debate about spend is often littered with problems. It can of course be a part of harm in some cases, but it is usually never the only factor. Harm can occur at low levels of spend, making blanket and blunt approaches to these issues ineffective. Instead, a risk-based approach should be our collective focus.
“By identifying financial distress and limiting immediately, we can take decisive action where necessary. Then, everything else in a customer’s profile can be judged on merit and crucially backed by data and science,” he added.
Elsewhere, Kindred Group bid farewell to Andreas Reimblad earlier this month after 16 years. Reimblad, who was director of sportsbook, has been replaced in the interim by Kindred head of trading Ben Colley.