Kindred Releases Responsible Gambling Statistics

Online sports betting and gaming group Kindred has released its first report into its responsible gambling action. By doing this, Kindred has followed up on a pledge it made in August 2022 to provide statistics on the work the group does to minimise the harm of gambling in Sweden.

The project, undertaken by Kindred Group and other Swedish betting and gaming providers such as Svenska Spel and ATG, aims to engage with, and support, customers who show signs that they are at risk of problematic gambling. The companies involved in the project agreed to release 6-monthly reports containing key metrics and statistics regarding their ongoing work.

While the project is currently being piloted in Sweden only, it is expected that a successful result would mean that Kindred Group would extend it to other jurisdictions in which it operates. One of the core markets for Kindred Group is the United Kingdom, where two of the Kindred Brands are enjoyed by many fans of online sports betting – Unibet and 32Red. Both bookmakers currently feature on our list of UK betting sites for 2023, with Unibet’s excellent introductory offer of “£40 moneyback + £10 casino bonus” and 32Red’s “100% up to £100 Profit Boost”.

According to Kindred’s first report, between 1^st July 2022 and 31^st December 2022, the group contacted 0.5% of bettors in Sweden due to problematic behaviour which had been detected or suspected through various means, including AI data analysis and responsible gambling software. After Kindred took action, 76.8% of customers who were contacted voluntarily reduced the deposits they made by 75.5%. Furthermore, the statistics in the report show that the action by Kindred resulted in 1.4% of the contacted bettors deciding to take a break from the Kindred platform for less than 6 months, and further 0.5% left for more than 6 months.

Discussing the report and the statistics in it, Kindred Group CEO Henrik Tjärnström said:

“Our decision together with ATG and Svenska Spel to openly publish important customer behaviour data, in addition to our Journey towards zero ambition, will make it easier for our stakeholders to follow and understand how we, with the help of regulation, technology, research and human interaction, work to prevent harmful gambling. We believe that a more fact-based and open dialogue contributes to a more sustainable industry and we hope other operators will follow.”

The report released by Kindred Group further highlights its commitment to ensuring customer’s safety and promoting responsible gambling. The company states that its purposes is “to transform gambling by being a trusted source of entertainment that contributes positively to society”. The Group prides itself on its diverse and vast experience in the online sports betting and gaming industry, and has often challenged established practices with view of modernising them for the benefit of all involved. And while it is a commercial entity and it relies on profit, Kindred has gone the extra mile to gain the trust of its customers and ensure that the services it provides are enjoyable, but also responsible and safe for bettors.

The news about Kindred Group’s responsible gambling action comes after a series of announcements from the UK Gambling Commission about its decisions to impose fines or official warnings to some UK betting operators due to their operations not meeting the required standard of ensuring responsible gambling. Last week, responsible gambling was in the spotlight, with the news that the Gambling Commission imposed a fine of £442,750 on TonyBet. In other news, following an enquiry into the operations of Vivaro Limited (vbet), the Gambling Commission reached a settlement with the bookmaker for £337,631. In both cases, the enquiry revolved around the safety measures, checks, and practices the bookmakers undertook in relation to responsible gambling, minimising gambling harm, and preventing money laundering through their platforms.

While industry experts are aware that it can be tricky to achieve the fine balance between imposing safety measures as per the rules and regulations, and allowing customers to enjoy their betting activities, it is clear that Kindred Group is on the right path. The company, which was founded in 1997 and was formerly known as Unibet Group, has grown to become one of the favourite UK and European online sports betting providers. Currently employing over 2,300 people and operating in a number of jurisdictions in addition to the UK and Sweden, including Italy, Denmark, France, and Australia, the company has seen a steady and safe expansion over the past 25 years.

It is clear that Kindred Group is now in an ideal position to lead effective responsible gambling action across the online sports betting and iGaming industry, and the newly published report is a strong start of 2023. We are looking forward to seeing what the Group will achieve going forward.