Sports betting and gaming group GVC Holdings has announced a global responsible gambling campaign, “Changing for the Bettor”, which is to be spearheaded by major new research into problem gambling with the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital.
The campaign comprises of seven pillars, each of which have substantive projects attached. These include understanding the issues, educating stakeholders, promoting responsible attitudes, empowering customers, funding treatment for those in need, championing responsible product design and driving cultural changes within GVC's own business.
The group is to invest US$5m into a new partnership with Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addiction over the next five years and will provide the faculty with access to anonymised player data across a range of its brands, sports betting, and gaming products.
GVC’s director of responsible gaming, Grainne Hurst, said: “Whilst the vast majority of our customers enjoy playing with us in a safe and fun environment we are aware that for some players, gambling can impact their lives negatively. We are committed to leading the industry in minimising potential harm caused by problem gambling. That is why we have launched Changing for the Bettor and have partnered with Harvard faculty at the Division on Addiction to help us to better understand and tackle the issues around problem gambling.”
Mims Davies MP, the UK’s gambling minister, said: “Gambling operators have a key role to play in protecting people from harm and identifying potentially risky betting behaviour. Research is essential to progress in this area and GVC’s Changing for the Bettor campaign will make an important contribution to tackling problem gambling. We are committed to protecting consumers across the country and are working with industry to create a healthy and more socially responsible sector.”
