British operator Praesepe, which has 185 adult gaming centres, FECs and bingo clubs across the UK, has taken the lead in social responsibility with an ambitious new programme.
The Playright App is a digital tool enabling players to track and control their gambling behaviour in total anonymity or with the help of staff on site.
The Gauselmann Group subsidiary has made the app free of charge from the app store and it is supported by a cloud-based management platform and a proprietary proximity detection component that is designed to enable recognition of players.
Nick Harding, CEO of Praesepe, believes Playright represents best practice in player protection and underlines the importance of social responsibility to the low stake gaming sector. He said: "I am delighted that Praesepe is the inaugural Playright client and that we have been able to make important contributions to the project throughout the testing regime conducted at 13 of our venues.
"The body of academic research that has been undertaken, shows that self-determination is the most effective way to avoid any form of gambling dependency: Playright addresses this by providing players with a free App which is simple to use and also meets the individuals' requirements for anonymity.
"Low stake gaming is all about delivering entertainment and no operator wants problem gambling, which is actually harmful to businesses that are predicated on a sense of community and where there is a strong relationship between player and venue staff. Playright is an empathetic and discreet tool which can assist customers to track and control their gambling as they see fit."
Playright co-founder, Sarah Ramanauskas, heralded Praesepe as a pioneer in relation to its commitment to social responsibility. "Nick Harding and the team at Praesepe, have been staunch supporters of Playright and share our vision for enhancing player protection" she stated. "Praesepe's customer facing staff are highly trained and very knowledgeable about their licensing requirements and their customers' harm protection needs.
"Playright is not just a tool for the very small percentage of problem gamblers, it is a way for Praesepe's customers to benefit from the very latest technology in order to say in control and continue to enjoy their gaming entertainment spend."
Welcoming the initiative, John White, chief executive of trade association, BACTA, said: "The amusement machine industry has a long history of social responsibility leadership. Our often unacknowledged initiatives have helped numerous individuals over the years enjoy our products in a safe environment where customer care is paramount.
"There will always be ways to augment what we do with new ideas using new technology and it is great to see Praesepe introducing one such new product to its business. We have already begun exploring if this concept is one we can roll out to the rest of the industry."
