Kindred Group reports on problem gambling figures in H1 2024

For years now, Kindred Group has been one of the most vocal supporters of tackling problem gambling and protecting consumers.

To give credence to its commitment, the company has made it a focal point of these efforts to be completely transparent about its own revenue and operations that may have benefited the company and are tied to problem gambling.

Kindred continues to reach out to problem gamblers and offer help

Kindred Group’s effort has not only demonstrated what a real pro-active approach against problem gambling ought to be, but also revealed a less palatable truth – despite earnest efforts, eliminating the portion of gambling revenue that contributes to profit margins remains a monolithic task.

Despite these challenges, Kindred Group has remained steadfast in its efforts, actively involving other stakeholders in the sector. Much of this has been going on for a long while now, with Kindred Group finding common ground with Swedish gambling companies ATG and Svenska Spel and signing an agreement to publicize what they have dubbed as "responsible gambling metrics" for the Swedish market.

This report aims to both address the companies’ internal challenges in reining in revenue from problem gamblers, and to also set an example for other stakeholders and what they can do to protect their players better. Kindred Group outlined its most recent results, covering the period between January and June, or the first half of the year.

Kindred Group contacted 76.85% of the people who were displaying problem gambling behavior – a total of 0.44% of players. The number of contacts was down from 78.19% posted in 2023, although not by a great margin. Contacting customers has been an effective measure in helping these 0.44% of players.

For 82.37% of them, players saw an immediate reduction of their deposits, leading to healthier gambling. In the meantime, the share of people who chose to exclude for less than six months after they had been contacted was 1.84% with another 1.14% opting for longer exclusion.

Tackling problem gambling has become an industry-wide effort in Sweden

Kindred Group’s assiduous approach yields relatively "small" results, but it’s a good example of what needs to happen in order for companies to be fully in control of helping people exhibiting problem gambling behavior get the help they need. Galvanizing another stakeholder to take part is another big leap forward, as players who have been excluded from Kindred Group may not necessarily stop playing altogether.

A far more efficient approach could be a push into a national self-exclusion program or an initiative such as Casino Guru’s Global Self-Exclusion Initiative. Regardless, Kindred Group’s decision to fully acknowledge the lingering issue with problem gambling is a definitive proof that when it wants, the industry can do much better than it’s given credit for.

Image credit: Kindred Group