Kindred donates shirt sponsorship to Safer Gambling Week

Kindred Group has made yet another splash in the responsible gambling sector deciding to donate its shirt sponsorship of Middlesbrough and Rangers FC to help promote instead Safer Gambling Week, which is running from today through Sunday, October23.

Safer Gambling Week is a massive undertaking designed to raise awareness about responsible gambling practices and the problems that may result from excessive gambling in the first place. Commenting on this opportunity, Kindred UK General ManagerNeil Banbury welcomed the opportunity that his company can send its message loud and clear, and highlighted some of the progress that has been made:

As we enter Safer Gambling Week, it’s a good time to reflect on the continued progress we have made in terms of protecting customers, as well as the improvements we continue to make through advances in our technology and processes.

This week, the Group’s 32Red and Unibet brands’ logos will disappear from the shirts of partner football clubs and be replaced by the catch-phrase "Zero % Mission," SBC News reported. This is a reminder about Kindred’s own commitment to making gambling safer which is laser-focused on ensuring that the level of harmful revenue that the Group generates falls to net zero by the end of 2023.

This ambitious undertaking is not a whim and has been going onsince 2020, reflecting on the changing attitudes that companies have towards customer safety and overall responsibility. Kindred is nearing the deadline, but the firm seems confident in its progress so far. Middlesborough and Rangers will sport the new logos in their upcoming games this week displaying them in a handful of games and driving the message home.

Kindred also wants to use the opportunity of Safer GamblingWeek to remind other operators to join its initiative and outline a similar commitment towards achieving "net zero" when it concerns revenue generated from harmful gambling practices.

Kindred Group is not the only company to back Safer Gambling Week, with UK operators expressing their unconditional support for the landmark initiative and what it means for consumers at large. SkillOnNet said it would back Safer Gambling Week as early as last week.

Safer gambling initiatives are a must as the industry is still associated with excessive spending and ruined lives, a stain that needs the concerted effort of all stakeholders and industry specialists to be addressed. Amid a delayed White Paper of the Gambling Act 2005, bereaved families have been calling for the cancellation of shirt sponsorships between gambling firms and football clubs. Sending a clear message through a team’s shirt is a good way to start.

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