Kindred Group, together with the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, hosted the Responsible Gaming Conference 2017 for the second consecutive year with a sold-out Intercontinental Malta venue packed with over 270 delegates who came to hear experts from various fields openly discuss responsible gaming.
The conference was opened by Alfred Grixti, the foundation’s CEO, followed by Henrik Tjärnström, Kindred Group’s CEO, who emphasised the role of data in understanding betting behaviour and the need for enlightened gaming companies to immerse in stakeholder consultation to ensure that the support is in place for player safety.
“Responsible gaming is an area we consider a key building block in our sustainable business strategy and therefore a topic we will continue to drive,” he said.
The conference was also addressed by Silvio Schembri, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Affairs,Digital Economy and Innovation within the Office of the Prime Minister, who said that the gaming industry is now worth upwards of €1.2 billion to the Maltese economy and supports more than 9,000 jobs. He said the Maltese government is investing heavily in responsible gaming and will be utilising €1m of European Social Funds to treat local gambling addicts.
Michael Falzon, Minister for Social Policy, congratulated Kindred Group on its support to Sedqa and for its responsible attitude towards gaming.
Keynote speaker Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University, who has been collaborating with the Kindred Group on research into problem gaming, gave an address in which he shared “the fruits of 30-year research”.
Among the highlights was his analysis of the structural characteristics impacting on gambling and gamblers and his thesis that to minimise harm when it comes to gambling the two most important structural characteristics are accessibility and event frequency.
Lively parallel sessions featured academics, researchers, gaming operators, psychologists, regulators, authorities and treatment agencies split into two streams, one for the gaming industry and the other focused on treatment.
In what was one of the most moving sections of the entire conference, four former gambling addicts, John Hartson, Justyn Larcombe, Frankie Graham and Ian Semmel, were joined by University of Malta psychological counsellor Paul Sciberras – moderated by UK academic Jonathan Parke – during which the addicts recounted some of their experiences as problem gamblers as well as sharing insights and practical points of view on their recovery process.
The conference was closed by Ewout Keuleers, general counsel at Kindred Group, who said that problem gamblers are not good customers and that Kindred Group’s values are consistent only with sustainable consumption. He said companies have a duty of care to customers to prevent problem gambling and to educate and create awareness.
Furthermore, he stressed that there is joint responsibility for operators and NGOs in opening dialogue on fact-based problem gambling and to use technology and innovation to prevent harm. He said: “Player safety has to be in the DNA, part of the organisation’s values and embedded throughout the business to create a safer and more sustainable environment for customers and the industry.”
For more information visit www.rgcmalta.com. The Responsible Gaming Foundation was a partner of this year’s conference.
Kindred Group CEO Henrik Tjärnström, Alfred Grixti, CEO of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, and Silvio Schembri, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Affairs, Digital Economy and Innovation within the Office of the Prime Minister.