Earlier this month, a trifecta of industry organisations united and immediately voiced an ambition of becoming a one stop shop for industry stakeholders regarding gambling related harm.
This saw Gordon Moody, which drove the creation, Better Change and Mindway AI join together to deliver an enhanced degree of protection and support to the industry through the formation of a global network.
Here, CasinoBeats speaks to Rob Mabbett, Head of Growth at Gordon Moody; Rasmus Kjaergaard, CEO of Mindway AI; and David Richardson, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Better Change; to delve into the finer details of how this came about, what each brings to the table and key aspects of the partnership.
CasinoBeats: How did this partnership come about and what were the key reasons for doing so? How much of a part did an increasing demand for services play?
Rob Mabbett: The partnership came about through an initial meeting at ICE 2022, where the CPZ brought like-minded safer gambling organisations together. We all recognised our mutual aims regarding responsible gambling and through collaboration, we knew we would have a far stronger voice in tackling global gambling-related harm.
Rasmus Kjaergaard: Through complementary attributes and services, we now have the ability to reach more people in need. At Mindway AI, we have been making technological advances in identifying those gamblers at risk of potential harm.
David Richardson: Better Change brings the awareness and prevention of gambling-related harm to life with an experienced and varied team, which joined up well with the established and well-renowned team at Gordon Moody, working in the treatment field with those that are most in need.
Mabbett: The heart of everything we aim to do is in the true nature of collaboration, not losing sight of the fact that real people are being helped and not just nameless data sets.
CB: This has been labelled as a ‘unique partnership’, but how will this ensure that growth ensures both as a collective and individual organisations?
Kjaergaard: The partnership is a true nature of collaboration over competition. In an industry that can appear disjointed across many levels, we are looking to provide a new model to support all stakeholders in the fight against gambling-related harm.
Richardson: This includes giving clarity to the operators within the industry and encouraging joined-up thinking with their safer gambling strategies. We see organic growth from the joint objectives of all organisations and the fact that we are working from the same mission template.
Mabbett: Recognition of the gambling harm continuum and understanding different organisation’s roles in ensuring those in need receive access to the appropriate level of support, as well as supporting others in the sector to achieve the highest standards in safer gambling, will support the strategic objectives of each of our organisations individually as well as collaboratively.
CB: What does each bring to the table?
Richardson: Better Change brings a modern approach to safer gambling and CSR strategies, with an experienced team from across the industry.
Mabbett: Gordon Moody has over 50 years of experience working with the most problematic gamblers and the resultant lived experience. More recently, working with comorbidity of trauma, mental health, and other addictions. We also have an international platform with over five million unique users annually.
Kjaergaard: We are the market leaders in technological systems and processes for the identification of at-risk and problem gamblers, through scientific-based virtual psychologists and the combination of AI, neuroscience, and human responsible gambling expert assessments.
CB: What will be the key aspects of the partnership? What will be delivered and how will this enhance the support offered regarding responsible gambling from both a player and operator perspective?
Mabbett: The start of the partnership has seen us launch an online learning system and operators can work with us to create a bespoke training platform for their colleagues, which is fully translatable and uses the latest gamification to assess knowledge uptake.
Richardson: We see this as our initial product and will ultimately be driven by the industry in what they need to allow us to create a one-stop shop platform for everything safer gambling.
Kjaergaard: Through collaboration, we are always looking to expand the network and bring the best ideas together. Through interactive self-help resources, we aim to put those in need of support in contact with organisations that can help, providing clarity and practical support at a time of chaos and vulnerability.
CB: When looking at the enhancement of player protection from an operator standpoint, what role does industry collaboration play in achieving these goals?
Richardson: Through engaging with operators and the establishment of responsible gambling leadership forums, networks, and working groups, we see the partnership as staying in front of the needs of the industry rather than playing catch up.
Kjaergaard: This means that rather than dictating what is needed we are actively engaging with the industry to provide solutions.
Mabbett: A true global forum for safer gambling with the service user at its heart. Together we can tackle gambling addiction and through these collaborations, we can better understand the causes of gambling harm.
