Gambling for the greater good, SBC Summit's take on RG

Responsible gambling has vaulted to salience not just in consumers’ minds but also in lawmakers’ briefs, and the industry’s strategic planning for sustainable business models. Therefore, it is hardly a surprise that the SBC Summit held in Lisbon, Portugal, paid particular attention to the ongoing debate about making gambling safer.

Just ask Duncan Garvie, whose company BetBlocker announced the introduction of a Portuguese version at the SBC Summit, and has enjoyed backing and interest from industry heavyweights such as Aristocrat, as well as established working relationships with DraftKings and Stake.com.

Garvie joined the Gambling For the Greater Good: Measuring Social Impact in Responsible Gaming Strategies panel hosted by SBC Summit and moderated by Responsible Gambling Council CEO Shelley White, whose organization recently introduced the RG Check Accreditation Program.

BetBlocker’s founder was flanked by Gamble Alert CEO Fisayo Oke and Underdog Sports VP, Responsible Gambling Adam Warrington. The trio discussed the USA’s GRIT Act which seeks to tap into the federal excise tax on betting in order to fund responsible gambling programs and research, along with other topics.

Garvie led the way arguing that "social good is about outcomes," as he also recently noted in an interview for Casino Guru. According to Garvie, though, the industry is already making a lot of efforts to ensure that consumers are protected.

He cited an example of a company that paid out of pocket to have BetBlocker translated into Romanian but refused to take credit for this. BetBlocker itself provides a free anonymous blocking service that helps people get their gambling habits under control.

There have been other cases where companies have opted to stay anonymous in helping advance solutions such as BetBlocker’s Garvie explained, and he said that this was mostly out of fear that industry companies could be accused of "whitewashing" their brands and names. Faced with such a choice, many operators have chosen to go the path of anonymity.

Ultimately, Garvie believes that everyone in the sector must play a role – from companies to regulators and that a "regulatory-mandated system" would make things much easier for everyone.

White chimed in that there were examples where companies in other sectors have ensured that they end up doing social good, such as pharmaceutical companies addressing women’s health issues and focusing on STEM.

Warrington did not miss the opportunity to point out that the industry could be more proactive in embracing meaningful regulatory changes. For example, the GRIT Act, which was passed this year, has mostly been criticized by many in the sector. However, Underdog Sports, his company, has openly stated that it would support the act, as it’s the right "no-brainer" thing to do.

Responsible gambling has been a recurrent topic, with RG touched upon as part of the Unified payments in emerging markets and Identification technology: AI and machine learning in the mix panels.

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