GB Group, the UK-based data and identity specialist, has unveiled plans to grow its presence in the online gaming sector.
Speaking exclusively to iNTERGAMINGi, CEO Richard Law said GB had reached an "important milestone" after swinging to profit in fiscal 2007.
Although the company is active in a number of vertical sectors, Law said the online gaming industry continues to drive group profits due to its proactive approach to age verification.
"GamCare rocked the industry in 2004 when research it conducted showed that 30 out of 37 online gaming operators accepted underage gamblers," he stated. "We were purposefully in the right place at the right time, and now 25 per cent of our revenue is derived from online gaming.
"We were quick to realise that without an electronic ID verification tool, the industry will not survive. GB now works with 30 companies from the ‘Power 50,’ and has never lost a single customer."
Although GB continues to grow its core business, Law made it clear that the group is not averse to opening up new avenues.
Over the past year, the company has been developing a self-exclusion service that will span across the industry. In consultation with several charities and industry bodies, including GamCare and eCOGRA, SelfExclusion.com is currently under trial and will be commercially available in the summer.
"The problem with the self-exclusion policies of individual companies is that in moments of weakness the consumer has the ability to simply register with an alternative operator. Using our intelligent matching capability, known problem gamblers can now be proactively identified every time they register for a new account," Law explained.
Law was adamant that an umbrella policy of exclusion could also be applied to the land-based industry. "It is certainly technically possible. All you need is the buy-in of the industry."
GB currently spends 10 per cent of its annual budget on analysis and forward planning. And even as the company’s self-exclusion package is preparing for an industry-wide roll out, Law said the firm was already looking to new horizons.
Indeed, while many are still coming to terms with the idea of ‘intelligent’ technologies, Law said the next-generation of social responsibility is well within reach. "We are already working on a product called PlayerPredict, which analyses the behaviour of gamblers to identify at an early stage the symptoms to intervene," he concluded.
