Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. Today, we feature safer gambling updates by the EGBA and Kindred Group, a continued New Jersey uptick, and continued Dutch and Spanish progress.
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The European Gaming and Betting Association reported that its members are “significantly stepping up their safer gambling efforts” towards their customers, including the greater deployment of tools and increased communications to promote safer gambling.
The comments came in the group’s Sustainability Report 2020/21, which aims to support accountability, transparency and reinforce a strong culture of safer gambling in Europe’s online gambling sector
Key highlights from the report include 75 per cent of customers having at least one safer gambling tool activated, either mandatory or voluntarily, on their online betting accounts, an increase from 61 per cent of customers in 2019.
It was further reported that 2.8 million personalised communications were sent to customers about their individual gambling behaviour with the aim of promoting safer gambling, which represents a 133 per cent increase compared to 1.2 million personalised communications in 2019.
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Netherland’s gambling regulatory authority, Kansspelautoriteit, published its policy guidelines for “involuntary registration” to Dutch gambling’s national self-exclusion scheme, CRUKS.
As of October 1, there will be a legal requirement under the Netherlands new KOA Act regime for all KSA licensed online gambling operators to centralise their player databases with the CRUKS self-exclusion system.
Sander Dekker, Dutch minister for legal protections, approved KSA policies on player voluntary or involuntary self-exclusion in order to provide oversight on the “most sensitive matter in regulating online gambling”.
The system will allow players to be registered via direct player enrolment – voluntary gambling operator – both voluntary and involuntary; and via family or close associate – involuntary.
The Ksa notice stated: “A family member or employer, but also a provider of games of chance can ask the Gaming Authority to register a player in CRUKS, to prevent further personal financial or social damage.”
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Despite recording a slight increase in revenues generated from harmful gambling, Kindred Group reported the continued advancement regarding its business sustainability objectives.
Publishing a safer gambling update, the firm reported that its share of gross win revenues from high-risk players increased from 3.9 per cent to 4.3 per cent during its Q2 trading period.
Yet, the firm highlighted that despite the minor increase, its customer care performance maintained its 76.9 per cent effectiveness of improving safer gambling outcomes following interventions.
Ahead of publishing Kindred interim results on July 23, group CEO, Henrik Tjärnström, cited continued progress on the firm’s sustainability objective of generating zero per cent of revenues from high-risk customers by 2023.
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For the fourth month running, online casinos and poker rooms in New Jersey extended its run of $100m plus in revenue, reaching £107.1m in June.
According to analysts, revenue in New Jersey was up 26.1 per cent from $84.9m in June 2020, though down from $108.2m in May.
Through six months of 2021, New Jersey online gaming has produced $634.2m in revenue and is set to surpass the record $970.3m in revenue in 202,0 and easily reach $1bn in revenue in a single year for the first time.
Borgata/BetMGM led in June with $34.3m in casino and poker revenue. That topped rival Golden Nugget, which reached $27.6m.
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Las Vegas Sands reiterated enthusiasm at the prospect of welcoming a greater volume of visitors to its properties, as the group reports that pandemic-related travel restrictions continue to impact financial results.
Net revenue for the second quarter amounted to $1.17bn compared to $62m during the prior year, with operating loss coming in at $139m as opposed to $757m through the same timeframe in 2020.
Net loss from continuing operations in the second quarter of 2021 was $280m, compared to $841m in the second quarter of 2020, with consolidated adjusted property EBITDA coming in at $24m, compared to a loss of $425m a year earlier.
Total net revenue for Sands China increased to $849m, compared to $40m in the second quarter of 2020, with net loss for SCL dropping to $166m from $549m.
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A draft framework of a ‘decree project’ has been published by Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs with the aim to establish “safer gaming environments” as well as additional consumer gambling safeguards as a federal mandate administrating the Spanish gambling sector.
According to the Ministry’s foreword on the project – outlining comprehensive protective measures required to modernise Spain’s 2011 Gambling Law – Spanish gambling requires an “optimal framework” to protect consumers of all ages and backgrounds.
In addition, licensed operators must face new rules, improving the monitoring of customers in order to report on gambling disorders.
The project’s framework has been divided into three policy areas: informing stakeholders on the requirement of new safeguards; the duties and obligations of licensed operators; and the protection of consumers against the gambling risks of intensive play, psychological disorders, addiction, and underage gambling.
