Impressionable youngsters in Zimbabwe unwavered by the stigma of gaming

Kindred’s ambitious campaign, ‘Journey towards Zero’, aimed at eradicating revenue from high-risk gamblers, appears to have stumbled in its latest update. The first quarter of 2024 sa slight increase from the 3.1 percent reported in Q4 2023.

The ‘Journey towards Zero’ initiative was launched in 2021 in response to a surge in problematic gambling behaviour, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign’s goal was to become the first operator to achieve 0 percent revenue from harmful gambling by 2023, a commitment publicly made by then-CEO of Kindred, Henrik Tjärnström (pictured above). Despite Tjärnström stepping down in May of the same year, the objective remains a priority for the company.

Throughout 2023, Kindred’s revenue from high-risk players remained relatively stable, oscillating between 3.3 percent and 3.1 percent. However, the company failed to meet its target of zero revenue from harmful gambling by the end of the year.

Despite this setback, The company reported that 87.1 percent of players demonstrated improved behaviour following interventions, a slight decrease from Q4 2023’s 87.4 percent.

Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, acknowledged the fluctuating revenue from high-risk players but emphasized the company’s ongoing commitment to fostering a more sustainable gambling experience. He noted the steady decline in harmful gambling data since 2020 and the positive impact of interventions on healthier gambling behaviour.

Public reactions and transparency

Westrell also highlighted the importance of open dialogue, citing the recent Sustainable Gambling Conference in London, where individuals shared their personal experiences with gambling. He expressed optimism about the role of advancing technology in detecting and intervening in harmful gambling behaviour.

Westrell called for increased engagement from regulators and industry experts to ensure a more sustainable future for the gambling industry. Despite the challenges, Kindred remains committed to its ‘Journey towards Zero’, underscoring the need for continuous effort to achieve sustainable progression.

Kindred’s transparency in reporting its progress has been appreciated by many. They have been open about their successes and setbacks, contributing to a fact-based dialogue about harmful gambling. However, some critics have labelled the initiative as a PR stunt. In response, Kindred has reiterated its commitment to the cause and highlighted the extensive work being done to ensure data reliability.

The UK House of Lords library has turned its focus towards a pressing issue - the impact of gambling marketing. This topic has been gaining traction due to the expansion of the gambling industry in recent years and the subsequent increase in gambling-related harms.

The library, known for its extensive resources and research, published an in-depth analysis earlier this week. The piece, authored by Thomas Weston, explores the role that the marketing of gambling services plays in exacerbating these harms.

Categorized under Business, Culture, Media & Sport, and Health, the publication is set to spark a debate in on 25 April 2024. As the industry continues to grow, the Lords are keen to address these issues and discuss potential solutions. 

In the world of gambling, the role of marketing strategies such as advertising and sponsorship in exacerbating problem gambling remains a contentious issue. A report by the House of Lords Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry in July 2020 highlighted a correlation between gambling advertising and problem gambling. However, it stated that no concrete evidence or research had been presented to establish a causal link between the two.

This sentiment was echoed in a Public Health England (PHE) evidence review published in September 2021. The review scrutinized studies aimed at identifying risk factors for gambling and harmful gambling. It concluded that while advertising and marketing do influence general gambling activity, there is a “lack of review-level evidence” to suggest that marketing and advertising are risk factors for harmful gambling.

The issue becomes more complex. Despite the absence of empirical evidence, several observations have been made that paint a concerning picture.

The paper refers to a 2018 report by the think tank Respublica. They estimate that nearly as. An additional third of the profit share is believed to come from those on the brink of developing gambling problems.

The exact figures on the gambling industry’s marketing spending remain elusive, shrouded in mystery. However, a glimmer of understanding comes from a 2018 report by Regulus Partners. They estimate that gambling advertising and marketing spending surged from around £1 billion in 2014 to over £1.5 billion in 2017. Considering the Gambling Commission’s estimation of the total industry revenue in the year to March 2017 being £13.8 billion, it suggests that over 10 percent of industry revenue is channelled into marketing.

Fast forward to February 2023, the Public Health journal publishes an article. They have been examining evidence on the impacts of gambling-related advertising that could lead to gambling-related harm. Their findings reveal that a higher percentage of those experiencing moderate risk or problem gambling reported that social media promotions for gambling worsened their problems compared to low-risk and non-problem gamblers.

In light of these observations, the Lords committee scrutinizing this issue is expressing skepticism about the non-existence of a link between advertising and problem gambling. They argue that it seems counter-intuitive for companies to invest increasingly large sums in advertising if they did not believe it would increase the overall amount gambled, the amount gambled with their company, or both, and subsequently result in an increase in gambling-related harms. This skepticism casts a shadow over the industry, raising questions that demand answers.

The issues are set to be discussed by the House of Lords on 25 April, 2024.

New South Wales authorities affirm Crown Resorts' eligibility to maintain its Sydney casino licence, citing satisfactory remediation efforts. 

Crown Resorts has received validation from the New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC) for its substantial remediation initiatives. The NICC recognized the group's comprehensive overhaul of its operations, encompassing reforms in harm minimization, financial crime prevention, governance, compliance, and risk management. 

The company disclosed an investment of approximately AU$200 million (€121 million) towards its transformation endeavours, which included the implementation of rigorous standards to combat money laundering. Crown Resorts has introduced Crown PlaySafe, a harm minimization program, and adopted cashless gaming across all electronic table games (ETGs) as part of its ongoing commitment to preventing financial crimes. 

According to its website, Crown PlaySafe Centres are open 24-hours a day in all three of its Australian Resorts and provide a range of services for all guests that are designed to keep gambling fun and minimise gambling harms. It added that the centres are staffed by a dedicated and professional team within each Resort. 

Crown Resorts aims to collaborate closely with the NICC to fulfil the outlined requirements of its review. Mark McWhinnie, CEO of , expressed appreciation for the NICC's decision, emphasizing the genuine and sustainable changes implemented by the company to uphold the highest industry standards. 

Meanwhile, Ciarán Carruthers, CEO of Crown Resorts, highlighted the profound transformation undertaken by the company over the past two years, emphasizing a paradigm shift in corporate culture and operations. He asserted that the revitalized Crown Resorts has emerged as a beacon of integrity and excellence in the Australian corporate landscape. 

While affirming Crown Resorts' suitability for a gaming licence in Melbourne, authorities in Victoria are conducting an ongoing investigation into Crown Perth. Despite this scrutiny, the group's successful retention of its Sydney casino licence reflects its unwavering commitment to compliance and reform across its portfolio of properties. 

Upcoming SiGMA event: SiGMA Asia 2024, 3 - 5 June. Find all the details .

Christoffer Gronlund, Co-founder of Winlandia, remains unsure but says it has plenty of potential for driving efficiencies, improving the user experience, and increasing revenues.

When it comes to AI, we’ve come a long way from the initial fears that machines are taking over from humans. Today, most businesses understand the value that AI can bring, from streamlining processes to analyzing data, creating content, and even making product recommendations.

For online casinos and affiliates, there are many ways it can be integrated into workflows. Operators such as Winlandia are already benefiting from its capabilities. Of course, it’s still early days for AI, and we as an industry are getting to grips with its full potential as well as any downsides that might arise from its use.

Before getting on to that, I thought it would be good to highlight some of the ways online casinos are using AI to drive efficiencies and ultimately deliver a superior player experience.

Safe gaming is the primary focus for online casinos such as Winlandia operating in regulated markets like the UK, Denmark, and Sweden. In most of these markets, operators are mandated to monitor players in real-time and benchmark their activity against markers of harm.

Should a player hit a combination of markers that indicates signs of problem play, an intervention is made. AI plays a significant role in doing this, monitoring, analyzing, and learning about player behaviors and patterns.

This must always be combined with human input and management, but without AI and machine learning, we would simply not be able to protect players to the high levels that we can today.

Online casinos stock their lobbies with hundreds, sometimes even thousands of games – at Winlandia, we have more than 7,300 titles available to players. Searching through this many games is impossible – could you imagine finding a film on Netflix without the help of its recommendation system? The same applies to players looking for their favorite slots, and this is where AI can help.

SkillOnNet, which powers Winlandia, has just announced a deal with Optimove to use its AI-powered Opti-X platform, a powerful game recommendation system that allows us to offer personalized game lobbies for each and every player that comes to Winlandia.

Leading on from this, AI can help operators deliver truly personalized marketing campaigns and offers to their players. This is so important given the high level of competition in the market – to keep players engaged requires being able to send the right message, with the right incentive, via the right channel to the right player at exactly the right time.

The only way to do this is through marketing platforms and solutions that use AI, analyzing data and customer behaviour, and then delivering communications automatically. This is fundamental to delivering value to players and strengthening their connection with the online casino while also allowing operators to streamline marketing costs.

There are a growing number of AI-powered solutions available to operators that allow them to streamline the business intelligence team. The tools offered by these providers include the recommendation engines mentioned above, as well as lifetime value prediction, churn prediction, bonus abuse detection, A/B testing, VIP identification, and affiliate optimization.

For smaller operators, some of these tools would simply be out of reach because they do not have the resources required to build out a full team of specialists. But with AI-powered tools, all of this and more can be accessed via a single solution. AI also offers opportunities to affiliates to streamline businesses.

Affiliates should absolutely be utilizing generative AI to generate ideas for new pages and to enhance the content already published across their sites. Affiliates often target the same search terms and keywords, with page content covering similar points and adhering to a similar structure.

AI can be used to add a bit of spice, identifying sub-topics and ways of bringing even more insight and value to each page. There are also plenty of AI-powered tools for improving the quality of content – think Grammarly, for instance.

AI tools can also assist affiliates in improving the UX design of their sites. Remember, players go through numerous steps before they actually deposit and play (and the affiliate earns their commission), so being able to identify any areas of improvement can be hugely beneficial to the affiliate.

Ultimately, AI allows affiliates to gain a much clearer understanding of player behaviour on their sites. Armed with this insight, they can make design and UX changes that ultimately boost conversions and drive revenues. Whether AI will revolutionize the way online casinos and affiliates operate remains to be seen, but it’s clear that it brings a great deal of potential to the table for businesses to explore and decide where it can benefit them the most.

Winlandia is already using AI, and I’m sure many people who have read this piece will be using it across their organizations too.