Entain Takes Gold at the EGR’s Operator Awards 2020
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded Safer Gambling Operator of the Year at EGR’s Operator Awards 2020. The awards, which recognise B2C operators for setting the standard in categories ranging from customer service to safer gambling, were held virtually on 11th-12th November 2020.
This year’s awards were the first time that a Safer Gambling Operator category has featured. The category consisted of 12 operators and was designated as one of the event’s “Headline Categories”, having been assessed at a judging day where finalists were asked to present their entries to EGR’s independent panel.
In choosing Entain for the inaugural award, EGR’s judges pointed to the following milestones the Group has achieved over the past year:
- The introduction of the whistle-to-whistle advertising TV ban;
- Increased donations towards research, education and treatment; and
- The implementation of effective player protection policies.
Grainne Hurst, Group Director of Corporate Affairs, commented:
“Guaranteeing the highest possible levels of player safety and protection is at the heart of what Entain does. We are therefore delighted to receive further independent recognition of the great work our teams deliver in this area.
“However, we will not be resting on our laurels. As announced last week, we have launched our Advanced Responsibility & Care programme and have set out plans for responsible gambling to be incorporated into Group-wide bonuses from 2021.”
Entain’s extensive work in the area of responsible gambling form part of the Group’s Changing for the Bettor strategy, which is comprised of seven core pillars:
- Understanding the problem and best solutions – Including a five-year, multi-million-dollar project with the Division on Addiction at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital.
- Educating our key stakeholders – Including the national roll out of youth education programmes with the charity GamCare – the largest project of its kind in the UK – as well as a fully evaluated, state school awareness campaign with EPIC Risk Management. We also co-fund the GamCare/YGAM youth education programme with other large operators, spanning 4 years.
- Promoting responsible attitudes – Leading the industry in agreeing a ban on pre-watershed gambling adverts on television around live sports (the whistle-to-whistle ban). We are also the only operator to unilaterally end shirt sponsorship and perimeter board advertising in UK football.
- Empowering customers – We conducted a full review of our safer gambling tools, making them more visible, easier to use and a more important part of our customer experience. New tools have also been implemented, which include curfews, cooling off periods and maximum limits on slots.
- Funding treatment for those in need – We were the first to announce a commitment to donate 1% of our Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) by 2022 to research, education and treatment (RET). The rest of industry has since followed our lead and committed to do the same by 2023.
- Championing responsible product design – Developing more responsible product design principles.
- Driving cultural change within our business – Ensuring that a safer gambling approach underpins all aspects of our business. In the UK we partner with EPIC Risk Management to provide responsible gambling training to our colleagues.
