SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Kindred Group has detailed that its share of revenues derived from problem gambling fell further during Q1 2021 to 3.3%, as it continues to work towards its 0% target by 2030.
Issuing an update, the international betting and gaming group revealed that its problem gambling revenue share had declined from 4% in Q4 2021, coupled with a 79.2% improvement rate about interventions.
The group has pointed to an ‘increased focus on improving and optimising intervention’ as a core reason behind the decline, leading to fewer customers being re-detected following interactions and subsequently contributing to ‘more sustainable gambling behaviour’.
“We started 2022 with a focus on targeted deliveries,” said Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group. “Our team has specifically focused on optimising our manual interventions further, resulting in a higher percentage of customers showing healthier gambling behaviour after they have been detected and contacted by our responsible gambling team.”
Explaining the changes made to its intervention strategy, Kindred stated that the improvement effect metric post-engagement had been updated to focus on behavioural indicators and not just financial indicators, in line with the group’s PS-EDS detection system.
The firm also maintains it has continued in its ‘cautious approach’ to younger gamblers, as this group is at higher risk to harmful gambling and addictive tendencies. This approach has led to a larger decrease in the percentage of harmful revenue from this age group according to Kindred’s analysis.
Lastly, Kindred has also attributed the continued decline in its harmful gambling revenue share to an ongoing partnership with RecoverMe, a research-driven app that assists bettors with managing their gambling behaviour.
The group’s update shows that it is making slow but steady progress towards its 0% target, with the company’s Sustainability Report for 2021 showing that 4% Gross Win revenues came from ‘high-risk customers’.
Tjärnström continued: “I am very proud that we have entered the collaboration with the team behind the RecoverMe app, ensuring we can offer this service for free to all our customers in the UK and the US.
“We are also sponsoring additional PhD programmes on addiction studies, enabling these students to study and work full-time in academia. Our focus right now is to continue to increase efficiency and speed in engaging with detected customers as early intervention is critical in preventing a harmful behaviour.”
The update also demonstrates continued progress for RecoverMe, which is becoming an increasingly prominent player in safer gambling, having entered into agreements with operators as well as fellow responsible gaming organisations such as YGAM, Gamcare and EPIC Risk Management.
”Only eight per cent of individuals with problem gambling seek help due to the stigma associated with the addiction, inaccessibility and lack of awareness of treatment options,” added Tejus Patel, Junior Doctor at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Co-Founder of RecoverMe.
“RecoverMe’s partnership with Kindred is a vital lifeline in helping us provide care to those that need it most. We believe passionately that collaboration with organisations like Kindred will help us reach those that need support and historically have been individuals who are difficult to reach and access therapy.”
