In line with anticipated widespread reforms to gambling laws, and increased pressure on the industry to beef up its safer gambling policies, online gaming provider Kindred Group has revealed that it aims to reach 0% of revenues generated by high-risk players by 2023.
In advocating a healthier approach to gambling, the firm has published group-level data which analyses the percentage of gross winning revenues from players exhibiting high-risk behaviours.
Numbers show that 5.5% of Kindred Group’s UK revenue in Q1 of 2021 had come from such players. However, this value decreased significantly to 4.6% by the fourth quarter of the same year.
The company sees the report as a tool for improving gambling regulations, citing it as ‘another important step forward’ in the move to create a safer player environment and building healthier gambling habits.
Neil Banbury, UK General Manager at Kindred Group, said: “This is another important step on our journey to zero. We are committed to contributing positively to that debate and believe that by providing further data from our books and working together with Government and other stakeholders, we can reach a solution to ensure players who need assistance with their betting behaviour receive it.”
Banbury also commented on expanding the group’s safety offerings, saying: “We have come a long way at Kindred – with our internal processes helping to inform deposit limits and other safer gambling tools – but we want to continue going further to drive down that figure to 0% by 2023.
“That is why in the coming months we will also be announcing additional measures and programmes that will bring in external views and advice as we continue to strive towards our journey to zero.”
Kindred’s global statistics slightly differ from those in the UK, with high-risk derived company revenue fluctuating throughout 2021. The share of winnings from harmful gambling is shown to be at 3.9%, 4.3%, and 3.3% in Q1, Q2 and Q3, respectively.
In the fourth quarter of 2021 Kindred registered a growth from Q3 to 4%. The company attributed the increase to factors such as the holiday season which ‘can be a sensitive time for some people’, together with the September cessation of all services for Dutch residents.
“Despite the share of revenue from harmful gambling increasing this quarter we remain dedicated and focused on our journey towards zero,” CEO Henrik Tjärnström commented.
“While we are not pleased that the trend remains flat over the last year, we have known from the beginning that we won’t solve this overnight, and we know there is still work to do. We have committed ourselves to this ambition and we will continue to work towards reaching 0% revenue from harmful gambling.
