Kindred renews EPIC collaboration in pursuit of 0% harmful revenue

Kindred renews EPIC collaboration in pursuit of 0% harmful revenue

Seeking to maintain track on its policy of achieving ‘net zero’ revenue from harmful gambling by 2023, Kindred Group has signed a partnership with EPIC Risk Management.

An extension of the Swedish multinational betting operator’s long-running partnership with the gambling harm minimisation consultancy, the arrangement will see EPIC analyse and improve the firm’s human intervention mechanisms. 

The announcement comes shortly after Kindred revealed that some progress had been lost on its net zero goal, with revenue from harmful gambling rising from 3.3% in Q1 and Q2 2022 to 3.8% in Q3.

Meanwhile, the improvement effect after interventions fell from 84.7% in Q2 to 82.6% in Q3, although this still represented an improvement on Q4 2021’s 79.2%, whilst overall Q3 22 revenue from harmful gambling also remains slightly lower than Q4 21’s 4%.

”We have not seen a desired sequential development this quarter, however we have taken significant steps forward since launching our ambition in 2021,” said Henrik Tjärnström, Kindred Group CEO.

“We have strengthened internal processes and aligned operations to continue our Journey towards Zero revenue from harmful gambling. We will continue to improve our technology and processes so that we increase our efficiency and speed in detecting and engaging with customers at risk. 

“We know this has a positive effect. For the third quarter almost 83% of detected customers improved their behaviour after we reached out to them.”

By again partnering with EPIC, Kindred is targeting an improvement in its manual interventions in order to in turn ‘motivate customers into healthier betting behaviour’. 

EPIC will utilise its lived experience and knowledge of gambling harm prevention, with the enhanced collaboration coming shortly after the conclusion of Safer Gambling Week, which saw the group showcase its training and educational modules internationally.

Dan Spencer, Director of Safer Gambling, EPIC Risk Management, remarked: “I am delighted to be renewing and extending our partnership with Kindred over the next three years. 

“Kindred were the first operator that we worked with, and they continue to show their commitment towards player protection by placing value in lived experience voices. 

“Kindred have shown great ambition in reducing revenue from high-risk players and this partnership will ensure that EPIC remains part of that journey by providing industry leading consultation services.”

First announced in 2019, Kindred’s ‘Journey to Zero’ strategy with a target of the end of 2023 has seen partnerships play a ‘central’ role, according to the firm. 

The group stated that collaboration between ‘industry, regulators, researchers, and other key stakeholder groups’ is vital for the success of its objectives. 

However, as the above figures suggest, the group is encountering difficulties in its journey to zero goal, although gambling harm rates among Kindred customers remain lower than before the policy was introduced. 

“We are on a long-term journey and our commitment goes beyond the end of 2023, but collaborations here and now like the one with EPIC are crucial for our future progress,” Tjärnström concluded.

“They provide unique insights from which we can learn the best approach to manage gambling related harm from an individual perspective. We have always emphasised how important our work with stakeholders from research, treatment centres, and lived experience is. 

“The collaboration with EPIC continues to highlight how these collaborations can help us reach our customers in a better way. I am grateful and proud to have this long-term collaboration with EPIC Risk Management.”

Source: SBC News