Christoffer Grönlund, co-founder and head of affiliations at Winlandia, takes a deep dive into all things safer gambling and explains why player protection is necessary to create a more sustainable industry.
Responsible gambling has understandably been a hot topic within the gambling and casino industry in recent months.
Regulators in markets around the world are looking to protect players, and often this includes the introduction of mandatory deposit limits, enhanced KYC checks and, in some jurisdictions, restrictions on how, where and when gambling products can be advertised.
The UK is considering legislation that would ban front-shirt sponsorship of gambling brands, and Ontario has strict regulations on bonus offers and promotions. These are just two of many examples of markets that have tightened restrictions on advertising, and more markets will no doubt follow suit in the coming years.
A change in attitude towards gambling advertising has been happening behind the scenes for some time. Advances in technology have made gambling more accessible than ever before. A wide range of apps are just a few taps away on your mobile phone. There is also an increasing amount of TV, radio and online advertising.
At the same time, there is growing public awareness of the potential risks associated with the gambling industry.
We believe that as an industry we have a responsibility to prioritise player safety – not only is it the right thing to do, but also from a commercial perspective it helps build trust and credibility.
Negative publicity associated with poor responsible gambling practices can be extremely damaging to a brand’s long-term reputation. At Winlandia, responsible gambling and player protection are at the heart of everything we do.
Technology-driven approach
For us, technology can play a key role not only in providing exciting experiences for players, but also in effectively monitoring bettor behavior and intervening if signs of gambling addiction appear.
This might be a hot topic at industry conferences, but this is where artificial intelligence comes in. From a behavioral analytics perspective, AI and machine learning can speed up and streamline the pattern identification process, helping to pinpoint whether players are gambling beyond their means.
Winlandia is leveraging AI technology to deliver more personalized and targeted marketing campaigns, which has enabled them to limit bonuses and promotions to players who may be at risk of gambling addiction, and instead increase the amount of communications dedicated to safer gambling.
The data collected from monitoring players’ betting patterns can also help improve the precision and effectiveness of intervention strategies, giving us the opportunity to intervene at the first signs of a problem.
When incorporating measures into their products that make gambling safer, gambling companies must strike a balance between protecting players and creating an entertainment-driven experience. This may seem difficult, but at Winlandia we are confident we have achieved this.
But how did we achieve this? Good question. For us, content is key. Firstly, we need to ensure that the content available on the site is engaging, interactive and informative about safer gambling tools available on the website.
Another important consideration is how we frame our messaging around safer gambling. After all, portraying responsible gambling as a burden will discourage players. We need to show that responsible gambling is a key component of the overall fun and enjoyment of gaming. A safer experience will be more sustainable and more enjoyable in the long run.
Responsible gambling tools and messaging should also be integrated into your brand in a non-intrusive way. Doing this and giving players a range of tools and resources to manage their gambling behaviour will encourage them to stay on your site.
Looking to the future
It would be naive to think that the path to creating a more sustainable industry will not be bumpy: with constantly changing regulations, growing black market threats and rising concerns about data privacy, we need to be at the forefront of positive change.
But I think we’ve made a lot of progress over the last few years by prioritizing player protection and adapting our marketing to create a safer, more enjoyable environment for everyone.
Investing in new technologies to strengthen our responsible gambling measures and collaborating with local regulators and stakeholders allows us to continually develop best practices.
At Winlandia, we continue to educate our players on the importance of responsible gambling and the tools available to them.
We remain committed to Corporate Social Responsibility by supporting initiatives focused on safer gambling. Player protection will remain our number one priority in 2024 and beyond, and we are excited to see what the future holds.
