Kindred joins monopoly duo to share open data on Swedish problem gambling

Kindred Group has announced a first-of-kind initiative with Swedish state-owned monopolies ATG and Svenska Spel that will see the companies publish data on metrics related to Swedish problem gambling. 

The Trio, which accounts for more than half of Sweden’s regulated gambling marketplace, seeks to “contribute to a facts-based dialogue on what is being done to reduce gambling harm”.

The initiative will see a four-point data report published bi-annually by the operators, informing the public of gambling harm developments.

Insights will be offered on the percentage of customers who are contacted on problematic gambling related to the operators’ total number of active customers.

The published data will also showcase the percentage effect of proactive interventions, reflected by the share of customers who reduce their gambling.

Further analysis will be provided on how many individuals have reduced their gambling on average and the percentage share of customers who choose to self-exclude from the participating operators.

Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group said: “These key metrics, which we will report every six months, will make it easier for our stakeholders to follow and understand how we, with the help of regulations, technology, research and human contact, work to counteract harmful gambling.

“We believe that a more fact-based and open dialogue contributes to increased trust in our industry and makes other operators more inclined to follow suit.” 

The trio underscored the importance of the initiative, providing open metrics on a marketplace in which “56% of the population stated that they gambled for money in the past year” – according to the Swedish Public Health Agency’s population survey, Swelogs.

Yet, despite consumers’ acceptance of a regulated gambling market, public surveys show that “trust in the gambling industry is low and has been so for several years”.

Tjärnström added: “While we remain firmly committed to our ambition of zero revenue from harmful gambling, this recent initiative between ATG, Svenska Spel and us creates further transparency in the Swedish market.

I am convinced it will encourage the gambling industry, and those associated with the industry, to work harder towards a more sustainable form of entertainment.”