Kindred and Gamban join hands to offer gambling blocking software in France
Kindred has reached another milestone in its journey towards 0% revenue from harmful gambling by becoming the first online operator to offer the option to block online gambling sites using Gamban in France. Gamban is a software that enables users to block access to over 60,000 gambling websites and apps around the globe.
This is another milestone in Kindred’s aggressive push to reduce revenue from harmful gambling. ©Louis-Etienne Foy/Unsplash
On November 10, the integration of Gamban with Kindred’s flagship brand Unibet will be complete and ready to roll out for the French participants who do not wish to access the platform. This integration, along with Kindred’s existing set of responsible gambling tools, is expected to help vulnerable audiences and players affected by harmful gambling, thereby contributing to Kindred’s journey to zero initiative.
Post-integration, Kindred will become the first operator in France that allows users to block online gambling sites. But what else does it bring to the table? According to its website, Gamban provides its users with an affordable, effective, and secure solution that keeps gambling websites and apps away. This is extremely helpful for users battling gambling addiction.
Gamban passes GambleAware’s tests
In October 2018, comparisons were drawn between six different blocking solutions. This survey was conducted by GambleAware. Gamban’s success was the highest of all at 99% as the software emerged as the most effective solution to block access to legal and illegal online gambling sites. Kindred funded Gamban’s development and localization as part of its mission to make it widely accessible to French players. Gamban allows players to block more than 60,000 online gambling sites, including unlicensed operators, despite the fact that a self-exclusion or ban is possible from the 17 licensed operators in France. Stephen Aupy, who is the vice-President of Partnerships at Gamban, expressed his enthusiasm after the deal was announced.
“We are very excited to be assisting Kindred on their journey to derive 0% revenue from harmful gambling. Kindred’s voluntary commitment to offer Gamban for free in France means accessible blocking software can further protect those harmed by gambling from unlicensed operators outside the scope of regulation. Kindred’s commitment to best practice has led to them choosing Gamban to partner with, which illustrates the reliability of our solution to protect players and work toward the sustainability of the industry.”
Kindred-EPIC come together to test human intervention mechanisms
The partnership with Gamban is not the first step Kindred has taken on its journey towards zero initiative. In October 2022, Kindred announced that it had signed an extension deal with EPIC Risk Management as part of its effort to analyze and enhance human intervention mechanisms. According to Kindred, the partnership would ensure that manual interventions are better placed and motivated customers would be more likely to engage in healthier betting habits.
Kindred has had a long-term investment in its idea to reach 0% revenue from harmful gambling by the end of 2023. The target date has already been set; hence, the operator is tying up with entities that could assist it in the fight against harmful gambling. The operator will not tweak the timeline and is firm on its decision to reach the desired target by the end of next year, although harmful gambling revenue did increase last quarter. Kindred is focusing on four factors in this fight. These are:
- Raising awareness early on to reduce the time between detection and intervention
- Continued investing and collaborations with researchers
- Increasing the visibility and usability of control tools
- Involving customers, researchers, regulatory agencies, and partners in sharing information and improving transparency
Dan Spencer, Director of Safe Gambling at EPIC Risk Management, said the extension of the partnership was a solid sign of Kindred’s commitment to the cause.
“I am delighted to be renewing and extending our partnership with Kindred over the next three years. Kindred were the first operator that we worked with, and they continue to show their commitment towards player protection by placing value in lived experience voices. Kindred have shown great ambition in reducing revenue from high-risk players and this partnership will ensure that EPIC remain part of that journey by providing industry leading consultation services.”
