SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Jdigital has signed a ‘collaborative agreement’ with Spanish problem-gambling therapist FEJAR, which will see its members promote a new treatment support freephone helpline (tel- 900 533 025) across their digital inventories.
The Spanish online gambling trade association has revealed that eight of its members – Codere, Ebingo, Entain, Flutter, Sisal, Sportium, Wanabet and Winamax – have begun the ‘first phase trialling’ of a new freephone gambling support helpline, managed by FEJAR.
FEJAR is recognised as Spain’s longest-serving therapeutic society specialising in the treatment of gambling addiction and its compulsive behaviours.
“We are very proud of joining forces with Fejar in the fight against problematic gambling in Spain,” said Jdigital president Andrea Vota.
Vota remarked that Jdigital members had not hesitated in promoting FEJAR’s new helpline as a tool to enhance the protection of vulnerable players and safeguard operator’s services.
“Our members have a strong commitment to their users and society in general, as well as with our goal of promoting safe and responsible environments for online gambling activity as a responsible form of entertainment,” Vota added.
Jdigital underscored that its relationship with FEJAR would be totally transparent, with its partner publishing independent reports on the helpline progress and development.
The promotion of FEJAR’s new helpline further fulfils safer gambling requirements enforced by the new duties of the ‘Royal Decree on Responsible Gambling’ – as licensed operators must offer ‘direct links to information services on safer gambling’.
FEJAR’s helpline will be manned by professionals trained by the therapeutic society, which will refer callers to Spain’s regional health service for specific treatment.
The society stated that it was willing to share its helpline data with Spain’s national health service and other healthcare and addiction research agencies.
Maxi Gutiérrez, president of Fejar, explained: “The first phone number to be launched in collaboration with the Spanish online gambling association. We are pleased to have signed this agreement with Jdigital and some of the main online gambling companies in the country, because it highlights the importance of joining efforts on the fight against problematic gambling, a task that has been Fejar’s main goal since its foundation in 1991.”
