Kindred Publishes Problem Gambling Data
Leading gambling operator Kindred has revealed that 4% of its revenue is generated by problem gamblers. The Kindred Group is responsible for some of the UK’s most well-known betting brands, including 32Red and Unibet. In publishing the statistic, Kindred has become the first operator to officially disclose the proportion of its customers that have exhibited signs of harmful gambling.
Kindred aims to reduce its revenue generated from problem gamblers to zero by the year 2023. ©Lukas/Pexels
Journey Towards Zero
In a bid to pursue safer gambling in the UK, the Kindred Group has become the first operator to reveal exactly how much of its revenue is sourced from problem gamblers. For Kindred, that figure currently sits at 4.3%. That’s not good enough for the operator though, as it has unveiled plans to push that number down to zero by 2023.
Most bettors in the UK will be familiar with Kindred through its nine popular brands, which include Unibet and Bingo.com. However, it has now become clear that not all of Kindred’s customers have had a positive experience using its gambling sites. Kindred has committed to changing that, by continuing to publish statistics on exactly how much revenue is derived from high-risk players and improvement levels after interventions are made.
Alongside its figure of 4.3% revenue from problem gamblers, Kindred has recorded a figure of 75.7% for effective improvement after interventions. That number measures how efficient measures from Kindred staff have been to help customers who exhibited signs of harmful gambling.
This data is key in quantifying how effective Kindred’s methods of reducing gambling harms amongst its customer base actually are, whilst also creating a benchmark to compare future progress against. The company is keen to be transparent in its efforts to make gambling safer and to generate conversations about the issue with stakeholders and industry figures.
The issue of problem gambling in the UK couldn’t be more contentious, with pressure from ministers and campaigners mounting. The Prime Minister has already launched a government review of the 2005 Gambling Act, fulfilling one of his major election pledges. The UK’s gambling legislation has remained largely unchanged since it was liberalized by Tony Blair’s Labour government. Since then, the industry has progressed rapidly from high-street bookies and casinos to a burgeoning online sector.
According to Kindred, 98% of its players gamble responsibly on its platforms. Kindred Group CEO, Henrik Tjärnström, explained in a press release why its “Journey Towards Zero” initiative is so important and how the company has been working towards fulfilling it. Tjärnström stated:
“Our ambition is that zero per cent of our share of revenue should come from harmful gambling, which we have worked towards for several years. We constantly strive to become even better at identifying players that exhibit risky gambling behavior and guide them back to healthier gambling habits. We want gambling to be simple and enjoyable for everyone.”
Making Gambling Safer
The CEO also emphasized the importance of involving figures from within the industry, in government and gambling charities in an open dialogue together. By doing so, it is possible for operators to make real progress in making gambling safer, without driving customers into the arms of the black market. The BGC has warned the government that if its legislative overhaul is too drastic, the black market could stand to grow.
Kindred’s safer gambling program was launched a number of years ago. Its ambition to bring down revenue generated from problem gambling to zero has always been at the heart of that program. Other key factors include increasing precision, so that signs of potentially harmful gambling are recognized more quickly and accurately. The operator is also working to improve support tools for at-risk customers and to make communication with players clearer. It also collaborated with Betfilter to produce an AdBlocker, to shield children from gambling advertising.
The operator’s “Player Safety Early Detection System” flags players who deviate from normal and safe playing behaviors. The player can then be informed about tools that they can use to self-limit their gambling activity, for example by placing a time limit or imposing a budget. Players who continue to exhibit signs of harm after this first point are then intervened with, by text, email or phone.
Last year, Kindred carried out 55,000 care calls to players, offering guidance on how to gamble safely, responsibly and with limits. The response to those interventions has been good, with 75% of players showing signs of healthier gambling after speaking with the Responsible Gambling team. Kindred hopes to improve this rate even further, and has committed to publishing its figures on harmful gambling quarterly, via its website. Tjärnström explained:
In order to evaluate our own sustainability work and to counteract harmful gambling, we continuously measure how our efforts contribute to healthier gambling together with how much of our revenue that comes from harmful gambling. We want to share these figures to increase the understanding of our long-term sustainability work and contribute to a safer gambling experience. Local market regulation is an important part to achieve this.”
Although based in Malta, Kindred is one of the biggest gambling operators in the UK. Formerly known as the Unibet Group, the operator offers online casino, poker, bingo and sports betting services around the world. As well as the UK, Kindred operates in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Italy, Malta, Sweden and Australia. Kindred is listed on Stockholm’s NASDAQ stock exchange.
