ESG Watch (November 2022)
All the latest ESG news from the igaming industry including updates from Codere, EPIC Risk Management and William Hill
Codere hosts second annual “Red Bank”
Following on from 2021’s inaugural “Red Bank” initiative, Codere has launched this year’s edition in support of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The Spain and Latam-facing operator will be placing bouquets of roses on the red benches that it installed last year to highlight the World Health Oganisation’s findings that one in three women suffer physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.
The red benches are reflective of a campaign originated in Italy in 2016 that saw activist Tina Magenta who used one as a symbol against femicide.
The firm will be providing information leaflets alongside local speakers to support women in reporting and preventing abuse of any kind.
Jorge Barras, head of people CSR at Codere, said: “Diversity is an inherent part of Codere’s corporate culture, so supporting actions of equality and respect is fundamental for the organisation”.
EPIC Risk Management and Chelsea FC team up
EPIC Risk Management has partnered with Premier League club Chelsea to deliver gambling-related harm education courses to secondary school students.
Chelsea’s official charity, the Chelsea FC Foundation, has introduced an initiative called Chelsea Champions that has sent five EPIC facilitators along with academy players and foundation coaches to deliver mental health and wellbeing workshops at a host of secondary schools across the south east of England.
All of the EPIC facilitators have lived experience of gambling-related harm and were able to incorporate their life stories into sessions aimed at highlighting the dangers of irresponsible gambling.
One academy player, Noah Hay, returned to his former school, Chelsea Academy, where he espoused the benefits of the Chelsea Champions programme.
Jonny Drabble, senior project manager at Chelsea Champions, said: “It’s great to be able to utilise and work alongside EPIC, using their real-life experiences, which I think has really touched and brought a lot home to the students.”
William Hill scores diversity recognition
William Hill was the only betting firm to feature on this year’s Financial Times diversity leaders rankings, coming in at 227th place out of the list of 850 global companies.
The company hailed its “highest ever” performance in the annual ranking with a score of 7.60 out of 10.
William Hill employees were given the opportunity to evaluate their employer’s diversity and inclusion practices.
The survey assessed employees’ perception of William Hill’s diversity and inclusion efforts, including support for women, the elderly and ethnically diverse staff.
DraftKings expands veteran research programme with Kindbridge
DraftKings has announced it is to remain the sole sponsor of Kindbridge Research Institute (KRI) in order to continue funding its Military Research Associate Programme.
The programme assists military veterans to transition from active service to advanced training in public mental health research.
Participants spend two years in the programme to develop a skillset that includes academic writing and literature research.
This announcement comes after DraftKings revealed in 2021 that it would commit to a multi-year investment into KRI to investigate the lack of information among veterans and their link to potentially harmful gambling.
Nathan DL Smith, KRI executive director, said: “We are thrilled to team up with DraftKings on this one-of-a-kind programme.
“At KRI, we believe that no one understands the mental health struggles of veterans better than veterans themselves.
“This programme provides training and support for transitioning service members into public mental health professionals. The ultimate goal is to ensure those who served in the armed forces have a voice in the discussion of veteran mental health for generations to come,” he added.
Entain hosts second annual ESG conference
Entain held its second ESG conference in London which saw its top team come together to showcase the group’s efforts over the past year.
The event featured panels and presentations from key Entain heads, including CEO Jette Nygaard-Anderson and chair of the board of Entain’s ESG committee Virginia McDowell.
The event saw Entain announce its partnership with McLaren and a collaborative initiative named Drive For Diversity.
The partnership will target women in tech, and the one-year programme aims to “reskill or upskill” women currently working or making a return to work after a career break.