GVC Holdings commits to new responsibility action plan

As anticipated the governance of GVC Holdings, has this morning unveiled its new social responsibility corporate directive, seeking to reduce problem gambling harms, while further improving all-around industry standards.

Presenting the firm’s new social responsibility and community mandate, Kenneth Alexander, GVC’s CEO, commented on the announcement:

“As a leader in the industry, we fully recognise the need to ensure we do everything we can to ensure an enjoyable experience for our players that minimises the potential to cause harm. The measures we have set out today demonstrate our commitment to take tangible action to understand and reduce the impact of problem gambling.

Publishing its new responsibility guidance, GVC Holdings focuses on four key actionable areas where the FTSE100 enterprise will change its practices, commit new investment and develop new resources.

• Advertising – GVC governance supports the introduction of a ban on betting/gambling advertising around live football matches before the 9 pm watershed.
• Research – GVC will invest in a £/€ multi-million research partnership with leading academic institutions – ‘This project will assess the extent of internet gambling, identify the markers of harm across products and propose improvements to our own algorithms.’
• Education – GVC will strive to improve gambling-harm communication to young and vulnerable audiences. The operator will back the upcoming roll-out of GamCare’s ‘Youth Outreach Programme’ committing £500,000 in the investment of the project.
• Increased SR Investment – GVC commits to doubling its responsible gaming investment to £4 million in 2019 – ‘twice the contribution called for by the sector’s responsible gambling organisations’.

All GVC syndicated brands will commit and contribute to the firm’s new four-fold approach on social responsibility and reducing gambling-harms.

This week, Kenneth Alexander called for industry leaders to back a 9 pm watershed on gambling/betting related content, stating that industry advertising had become too prominent during sports broadcasts.

GVC Holdings becomes the latest industry incumbent to revamp its social responsibility programme in 2018, joining competitors Sky Betting & Gaming and William Hill Plc in placing industry sustainability at the forefront of its day-to-day operations.