After establishing a number of social responsibility targets at the start of 2019 Kindred Group is set to end the year as the Socially Responsible Casino of the Year after triumphing at last week’s SBC Awards.

Emphasising the role that the power sport can play in improving lives to CasinoBeats during last month’s Responsible Gambling Week, the firm follows that up this week by becoming the first community partner of the European Football Development Network.

Looking back at ongoing initiatives Eric Konings, sports betting integrity officer at Kindred, discusses what has been the most pleasing work undertaken within this area during the year: “2019 has been a busy year in Kindred. We have set out an ambition to make gambling 100 per cent enjoyable, reaching 0 per cent of gross winnings revenue from harmful gambling by 2023. This requires big investments and a continued focus on collaboration,” he says.

“This year, we have focused on our advertisement and how we communicate to our customers. Across many of our largest markets we have run communication campaigns on sustainable consumption to educate our customers and the public on responsible gambling. 

There is more work to be done, not only in casino or other products but throughout the whole organisation”

“We also hosted the fourth Sustainable Gambling Conference, which is a crucial event for us where we foster knowledge sharing between experts from various fields in the industry.”

With social responsibility such a prominent part of the industry, Konings moved on to address triumphing in last week’s Socially Responsible Casino of the Year category: “We see winning this award as an acknowledgement of our efforts in this field, but also as an encouragement to continue our strong focus on sustainability. 

“There is more work to be done, not only in casino or other products but throughout the whole organisation to achieve our ambitious sustainability goals, and this award is giving our commitment to this cause another boost.”

Adding on what stood the firm out from the crowd: “We can’t of course talk on behalf of the judges, but we like to think it is our strong commitment to drive sustainable gambling. We have a clear focus on ensuring a safe platform for our players, and promoting responsible gambling is our number one sustainability priority.”

Emphasising that sport can be a tool for social development and drive positive change in society last month, what more could be done industry wide regarding social responsibility initiatives?

We must learn from each other and co-operate”

“We strongly believe that cooperation between stakeholders is necessary to prevent problem gambling,” Konings explained. 

“No single operator, supplier, regulatory authority, research centre or other expert can tackle these challenges alone. We must learn from each other and co-operate in partnership to improve our responsible gambling efforts. There is a lot to be done in this area.”

Concluding, Konings gave a brief insight into what 2020 has in store for Kindred within this area: “A lot! We have as part of our commitment to our local communities just announced our partnership with the European Football for Development Network, a leading organisation using the power of football for social change. 

“We will also continue to engage in partnerships with leading experts in the field of responsible gambling to continuously develop our tools and processes. Watch out for our 2019 Sustainability Report, where we will talk a lot more about our commitments for 2020.”