Crucial Compliance

Responsible gaming and AML strategy specialist Crucial Compliance has appointed Nigel Birrell as non-executive chairman, just weeks after Andy Masters joined the board as COO.

Birrell brings a wealth of experience which will support the company’s ongoing strategy for international expansion. It also further bolsters the governance of the business, providing a springboard into new markets.

Paul Foster, managing director at Crucial Compliance, said of the appointment: “We are thrilled to have Nigel join the team. With his unrivalled industry knowledge and experience, we are looking forward to receiving his counsel in helping to shape Crucial’s future for sustainable growth.

“In attracting someone of Nigel’s calibre, we have reiterated our commitment to driving safer gambling and business change through holistic growth strategies.”

OtherLevels

OtherLevels has announced the appointment of Jenny Lu as North American general manager. She joins the firm having built and led teams at the intersection of paid media, acquisition, online casinos, lotteries and sports betting in North America for over a decade.

Prior to joining the company, Lu was director of sales at Optimove where she led the growth of US and Canadian gaming sales. From 2009 to 2018 she was director of account management at Income Access, a Paysafe company, and previously director of client relationships and partnerships at Income Access.

Brendan O’Kane, OtherLevels’ CEO, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome one of the most respected and recognised gaming executives to the OtherLevels team. Jenny brings extensive experience across the online casino, lottery and sports betting sector, and has a tremendous track record in client management, partnering, sales and business development.

“We believe her experience of paid media and acquisition, coupled with her deep knowledge of CRM and related technologies, will accelerate OtherLevels growth across the OtherLevels in-play, open data platform and intelligent messaging solutions.”

Maxima Compliance 

Full-service compliance provider Maxima Compliance has appointed gaming counsel Paola Menachem as its director of regulatory and licensing.

Menachem has more than two decades of legal and regulatory experience within the gaming industry, at the likes of Intralot, the Zeal Group and the solicitors firm Smithfield Partners. At Maxima Compliance, she will lead the regulatory and licensing team.

Antonio Zanghi, Maxima Compliance managing director, said: “Our regulatory and licensing department continues to grow rapidly as more gaming businesses turn to Maxima Compliance to facilitate their entries into new markets, and maintenance in existing ones.

“Welcoming Paola to the team means we are able to continue to scale this part of our operations with one of the industry’s leading experts in the field.”

PlayUp

Online betting entertainment and tech firm PlayUp has appointed Dennis Drazin to its board, where he will work directly with US CEO Dr Laila Mintas. Together they will help drive the USA business and support the company with its global growth strategy.

Drazin is the chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, the operator of Monmouth Park, the largest racetrack in New Jersey. The track made history when it took the first legal sports wager by Governor Phil Murphy on June 14, 2018.

Daniel Simic, global CEO of PlayUp, commented: “Dennis is a well-recognized figure in the USA betting industry and will add enormous experience to our board. I look forward to working with him and Laila as we expand our global footprint.

“Significant progress has been made to introduce fixed-odds horse racing in the USA and what better person to have on our board than the man helping to currently oversee the pilot program.”

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Gaming1

Gaming and sports betting operator Gaming1 has boosted its c-level ranks with the appointment of Stars Group marketing veteran David Carrion as its chief marketing officer.

Selected for his data-driven skills and approach, the role will see Carrion tasked with building upon the international awareness of the firm’s brand name, as well as taking the helm at Gaming1’s data science team.

Sylvain Boniver, Gaming1 COO & co-founder, explained: “On behalf of everyone here at Gaming1, I’d like to wish David the warmest of welcomes. A world-class addition to our team, his appointment forms part of a recruitment drive aimed at accelerating our continued international expansion into crucial markets such as the US.

“We are a data-obsessed company so with David’s precise, data-driven approach, as well as a remarkable skillset and experience portfolio, he’s perfectly placed to help take our brand to the next level.”

Rivers Casino Philadelphia

Rivers Casino Philadelphia, which recently celebrated 10 years on Delaware Avenue, has named Las Vegas gaming and hospitality executive Eric Fitzgerald as general manager, pending approval by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Most recently Fitzgerald served as president and COO of Excalibur Hotel & Casino, which boasts 3,900 hotel rooms and 3,000 employees, following a period as Circus Circus Hotel & Casino president and COO, and a near-decade run as senior VP of operations for Luxor/Excalibur Hotel & Casino.

“Eric’s experience in running large-scale, multifaceted destination properties in Vegas provides the perfect runway for landing at Rivers Casino in Philly,” said Greg Carlin, CEO of Rush Street Gaming.

“He has a track record of growing customer loyalty in highly competitive markets, under challenging market conditions.”

Crucial Compliance

Responsible gaming and AML experts Crucial Compliance has announced the appointment of Andy Masters as partner and chief operating officer.

Masters’ initial responsibility is to advance the professional services and software development team by bringing together experts in their fields. He will drive compliance management solutions; building a suite of products to match the global ambitions of the company.

Paul Foster, managing director of Crucial Compliance, commented: “We are very proud to welcome Masters as both a partner and fellow Board member to help deliver the sustainable but ambitious targets. As COO, he is bringing a depth of knowledge and experience which will help take us to the next level of company growth and development and, crucially, compliments the existing team and client base perfectly.”

WWE

Barstool Sports’ chief executive officer Erika Nardini has been elected to the board of directors of World Wrestling Entertainment.

Nardini was named Barstool Sports’ first CEO in 2016, and since that time the company has experienced tremendous brand and business growth as one of the fastest-growing lifestyle brands on the internet, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

During her tenure at the company, Nardini has launched more than 35 brands, including breakout franchises in sports, entertainment, female lifestyle, business and sports betting.

“Erika is a seasoned executive with a tremendous track record of building businesses, developing experiences, and engaging different audiences across the media ecosystem,” said Vince McMahon, WWE chairman and CEO.

“Her entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen and understanding of today’s consumers will serve as a perfect addition to our board of directors.”

ESA Gaming

ESA Gaming has confirmed the appointment of Maria Luisa Malfasi as business development manager in a bid to accelerate the company’s next level of growth.

Malfasi has over 15 years experience from the online gambling sector and joins the ESA Gaming team from iSoftBet where she held the role of senior account manager for three years.

In her role, Malfasi will lead ESA Gaming’s commercial efforts and pursue strategic opportunities by fostering new partnerships and identifying new markets.

Zorica Smallwood, Director at ESA Gaming, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Maria Luisa to the ESA Gaming family. She has a wealth of knowledge of the industry and will be an invaluable addition to our team as we continue our commercial expansion in a number of jurisdictions.”

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Licensing expert David Clifton was joined by the UK Gambling Commission’s CEO Andrew Rhodes, RAW iGaming’s Chief Legal & Compliance Officer Dee Maher and Crucial Compliance CEO Paul Foster on the panel titled ‘UK Focus – mitigating the increased cost of compliance’ on day one of the summit.

As part of the Pascal Gaming-sponsored Global Casino track at the event, Clifton asked both Foster and Maher what stood out to them from the white paper. Foster mentioned the financial vulnerability and single customer view proposals, while Maher highlighted the deposit limits and the consultation process that needs to take place.

Both Foster and Maher noted as well that many in the industry want to understand the affordability topic in depth and have their opinions heard during the consultation process.

“People are still scratching around really trying to understand the changes that are going to take place,” Foster noted.

“In the last seven years, we’ve had a huge move from a kind of understanding what our customers are and who they are, to fully understand them, to very in-depth, very intrusive financial steps that have resulted in one our players not being very happy, and number two, they’ve been railing against it and often moving from operator to operator, which is never a good thing. 

“For me, it has been stated, they put some figures in there, interesting figures. I’m sure the industry will debate them. Unfortunately, we’ll have a consultation as well, so that will be the opportunity for the industry to say their words, but I think this whole area is key to businesses because a lot of businesses have been saying that they haven’t been making money because of affordability, which kind of isn’t true.”

Maher stated: “What I took up on it is the deposit limits and the discussion on having the mandatory deposit limits once a player registers. How effective does the commission think that will be? 

“Also the consultation process, will everybody be considered? Everybody’s view and not just the biggest shareholders, the biggest players in this industry, but a full consultation based on facts from within the industry, figures to support the view of what we would like to see as the end result and implemented next year.”

Rhodes reiterated what he said during his fireside chat with Clifton earlier in the day that the first set of consultations for the white paper is expected to be published later this summer in mid-July.

“Well, I do think the consultations will be more likely in July, and that’s what we’re aiming for,” he said. 

“There are some things that need to happen for that to take place, but we’ve always been preparing for this and we needed to see the final version of the white paper to know exactly what it says because it can change right up until the last minute because that’s the way politics works. That’s the timeframe we’re looking at and you’d expect a standard consultation period to take place.”

Rhodes was asked by Maher whether deposit limits were directly linked to loss limits, as a measure to gauge how much a customer can afford to lose. 

The UKGC CEO replied that through consultation, player-centric controls will be explored to find clarity and to make sure it doesn’t go against other controls that are in place. He added that due to the complexity, the consultation period needs to be completed thoroughly.

Foster said that part of the problem in the past was many companies produced their own definition of affordability, but now there is an opportunity to try and set a definitive answer that the industry must abide by.

However, he also stated that another impact the white paper could have is on the customer journey and making it as frictionless as possible, which is “the difference between a customer staying or leaving”.

Clifton then asked Rhodes if the UKGC’s consulting will ultimately create a finite definition of what affordability means in the UK gambling market. The CEO believes that they will be able to, but ultimately the definition varies depending on a player’s circumstances.

“I think we can handle this, but I expect a fierce debate about vulnerability because, to an extent, it is in the eye of the beholder.”

Clifton noted that technology could play a role in affordability, but Foster noted that while the technology is present to help with key decisions, the data to make sure the correct answers are achieved is not, and he recommended more “open source platforms” to help solve that problem, utilising data that is most applicable to a player’s profile.

Maher added that AI is a hot topic right now and that the industry is already using the technology with chatbots, and data is present as well from customer journey collections.

“We’re putting the right data set together can deliver at-risk results. You can predict exactly what the predictability is based on other people who have displayed signs of risks, and build that into your model, and then be better at offering a better user experience, that frictionless experience, the journey is not interrupted, and they’re having fun, which is what we all want them to do, be entertained by the system. 

“With the advancement in machine learning, and automatically, all the time updating from the information that’s coming into the system, will be paramount to an enjoyable experience for customers and while also, you’re addressing the human intervention on those high-risk customers.”

Facing its summer consultations, Rhodes noted that the UKGC aims to move towards a clearer standardization on assessing gambling harms, providing easier access to data

but different tech stacks in the market can slow down the collection process, adding that “we need to develop the technology and tools to be able to ask questions much more easily”.

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Launched in collaboration with UK-based online-focused child protection organisation Virtually Safe and Teens Can Code, a charity increasing access to technology for young Africans, Crucial Compliance hosted a safer gambling workshop looking to educate young people on safer gambling, understanding vulnerability and gambling regulations. 

In this discussion, Crucial Compliance CEO Paul Foster discusses the importance of this collaboration, how African player protection compares to other continents and the influence of mobile phones on irresponsible gambling. 

CasinoBeats: What does it mean to collaborate with Teens Can Code and Virtually Safe to reduce gambling harm?

Paul Foster: Crucial Compliance is committed to tackling the causes and effects of gambling related harm, in particular in markets where regulation requires strengthening and where systems like ours are very new to the marketplace.

For us, partnering with local organisations who are firmly rooted in communities was an important step to make sure that we heard a diverse variety of opinions around gambling, potential gambling harms and how to tackle them. We are not applying a cookie-cutter approach to our work in Africa and emerging markets, especially because of the very nuanced approaches required in different countries, cities and even communities. 

In Nigeria, we worked with award-winning non-profit organisation TeensCanCode, who sensitise young people and adults across the country on issues relating to online safety. Not only that, but their work provides access to technology skills for the next generation.

We know that if we want to reduce the potential for gambling harm, our work needs to begin with young people as well, so this partnership was a good blend of both approaches. At our recent event in Lagos, the first of its kind in the country, we heard from leading brands such as Betway, charity GambleAlert and a variety of gamblers and young people.

CB: How does the prevention of gambling harm in Africa, and Nigeria specifically, compare to that in other continents and jurisdictions?

PF: Africa as a continent is culturally adapted to gambling wherever you go. Betting is a normal activity amongst friends, community groups and increasingly so online and in local betting offices. 

Firstly, there is a massive misconception that gambling is a way to make money or an opportunity to get extra cash. We need to dispel this myth first of all. Awareness-raising and making ourselves known as trusted professionals in the sector was the beginning of our approach. 

“There does seem to be an issue with underage gambling in AFrica”

Crucial Compliance CEO Paul Foster

Instead of wading into the continent and imposing our own thoughts and opinions, we ran ‘pop up’ Hackathon events which were part-debate forums, part networking and part pitch events where local tech entrepreneurs and stakeholders could share ideas on how to prevent gambling harms. The approaches we saw put forward included a massive focus on education and training, operator intervention and using technology in lo-tech and hi-tech ways to provide assistance such as counselling, advice and support.

CB: What strategies have been undertaken by Crucial Compliance and these partnered organisations to ensure that gambling harm prevention is prioritised in countries such as Nigeria?

PF: Crucial has spent the first half of this year building brand awareness, running its Hackathon events and keying into local ecosystems. This has involved meeting betting operators, government departments and engaging with regulators and gambling Boards to put this issue on the agenda. 

It is fair to say that there is an acute awareness of the risk of gambling harm and a desire for change to happen in the continent. There is also the growing trend of big overseas operators launching brands on the continent without the same level of consumer protections that are demanded by Western regulators and governments. 

By being approachable and having these human conversations, we have made massive strides in reaching the desks of key stakeholders – many of whom you will see us collaborate and work with over coming months as part of a joined up strategy to nudge forward player protection.

CB: Would you say that the attitude towards harmful gambling and underage gambling differs between Africa and other continents, such as Europe, from a regulatory perspective?

PF: There does seem to be, anecdotally, an issue with underage gambling in Africa. It would be unfair to conflate poverty levels with the prevalence of underage betting in local communities but there does seem to be a link.

The regulatory landscape in Africa is mixed – some countries are applying a keen eye for detail to regulation such as Rwanda, where new betting licences are currently purged due to compliance concerns, or Kenya where there is heated political debate and even talk of some quite draconian measures to prevent under-age betting.

Most countries are applying a sensible balance of consumer awareness and better ID verification, though the application and veracity of those tools is mixed. This is something that can be improved upon.

“We are committed to supporting the industry to be compliant”

Crucial Compliance CEO Paul Foster

CB: Can you explain the link between access to a mobile phone and gambling harm in Nigeria?

PF: Contrary to what some might think, access to the internet and smartphones is fairly widespread across Africa. Even the unbanked find ways to gamble and this shows how much of a powerful stronghold local betting shops have with consumers.

Many local betting shops are also social spaces, with friends betting between each other. It is not necessary to have a mobile phone or internet access to gamble in Africa as many other forms of betting, including via mobile wallets, SMS and betting slips, are still commonplace.

CB: What other steps are Crucial Compliance willing to take as the partnership with Virtually Safe and Teens Can Code develops over time?

PF: Crucial Compliance is working with a selection of partners, including gambling Boards, NGOs, education sector and researchers to take an evidence-based approach to its strategy in Africa. We are committed to supporting the industry to be compliant, explore player protection further and we are excited about the potential of gaming brands to do good in their communities as part of the normal way they do business. We say we make change with one operator at a time and with each meeting we hold and each conversation we have in Africa, the message becomes clearer and clearer. 

Entering the continent is a long-term approach but one which is worthwhile – Africa has the biggest populous of young people in the world on the continent, with a steep rise in sports betting and a need to prevent entrenched addictive behaviours and further degradation of communities by bringing this industry and local regulators up to date. 

Work with the likes of TeensCanCode, RwandOpp, tech hubs, local government and betting brands themselves are part of our blended approach to hone in on the real issues and make a change from a multitude of perspectives. We invite anyone in the sector in Africa to talk to us about their developments and partner with us to make a real change.

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The link-up between the trio will enhance the suite of compliance solutions offered by W2 and strategic partner Crucial Compliance and aid operators in overcoming regulatory challenges while also “future-proofing” compliance tools and processes. 

“Protecting players should be easy,” explained Warren Russell, CEO of W2. “Combining W2’s tools and expertise with Crucial Compliance and nChain, we’ve created a complete solution that puts players first and makes maintaining compliance simple for operators.” 

The collaboration between W2, Crucial Compliance and nChain brings ledge technology to the area of regulation and compliance for the first time.

Furthermore, the solutions being offered by W2 and Crucial Compliance are now supported by the blockchain technology of nChain, forming a complete compliance and player protection toolkit that mitigates the risk of operators being hit with fines.

Paul Foster, CEO at Crucial Compliance, added: “Distributed Ledger Technology is the future of regulatory compliance and player protection, and this collaboration between W2, Crucial and nChain allows our operator partners to leverage its huge potential today while future proofing for tomorrow.”

In addition, the deal will see W2 and Crucial Compliance gain access to nChain’s traceable, auditable, trustless compliance tools. 

Nick Hill, Sales Director at nChain, concluded: “We are passionate about the ways in which blockchain can enhance vital processes for businesses in a wide range of sectors but especially when it comes to gambling operators and regulatory compliance and player protection.

“This breakthrough partnership between nChain, W2 and Crucial Compliance makes these cutting-edge technologies available now, allowing gambling operators to enhance compliance and further mitigate the risk of fines and reputational damage.”

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The integration of CPP, which has been designed as a single, scalable solution for compliance, business and case management, will allow Fitzdares to compare player behaviour through both a wider cohort and against individual benchmarked behaviour over time. An option the firm believes is “key” to minimising gambling related harm. 

Sam McKnight, Head of UK Compliance at Fitzdares, said: “We take player protection incredibly seriously and in Crucial Compliance we have a partner that can provide us with the platform and tools we need to take safer gambling to the next level. 

“Its technology is at the cutting edge of safer gambling and is always supported by an experienced team on hand to ensure that we maximise the potential of the platform and tools available through Crucial Player Protection. 

“This partnership is evidence of our commitment to safer gambling and compliance and will be crucial to our success in the UK market and beyond.” 

The ultimate aim, according to Crucial Compliance, is to improve the accuracy of review for AML and responsible gambling to increase the protection of at-risk players. 

This is done through 27 harm markers that are combined with advanced algorithms and machine learning which has been calibrated to the exchange business. These advanced models are based on individual player behaviour, but also traders and are segmented at the core by product, country, and vertical.

CPP then allows Fitzdares to automatically interact with players about their gambling behaviours and habits, through the full integration with Adobe.

Andy Masters, COO at Crucial Compliance, added: “We are delighted to have partnered with Fitzdares and to be providing the operator with our powerful Crucial Player Protection solution.

“It is the only compliance platform that has been built from the ground up by compliance professionals for the specific purpose of compliance and with a focus on a single view and holistic player protection. 

“CPP improves the output and efficiency of the compliance team, allowing the Fitzdares team to focus on the most at-risk players. The tool is also supported by an experienced training, data and analytical team who continue to support the needs of the business in an ever changing regulatory landscape”

The partnership with Fitzdares comes in the same month Crucial Compliance announced its African expansion. 

As part of its African gaze, the firm has vowed that its African ambitions aim to tackle the continent’s “cultural and systemic problems”, which it notes lead to “unprofitable and unsustainable gaming” and contributes to an “underbelly of addiction” that has gone “completely under the radar”.

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The firm has vowed that its African ambitions aim to tackle the continent’s “cultural and systemic problems”, which it notes lead to “unprofitable and unsustainable gaming” and contributes to an “underbelly of addiction” that has gone “completely under the radar”. 

“Crucial Compliance is focused at changing the industry one operator at a time,” noted Paul Foster, CEO at Crucial Compliance. “This should not just be within established regulatory markets but include those with high growth where gambling related harm could be more prevalent. 

“Having looked at the rapidly African gambling markets we recognised that our support could make a difference. We have therefore committed time and resources to try and make a change to protect those most vulnerable of players.”

Whilst regimes in Europe and America are vigorously working to satisfy shareholders, governments and regulators with a plethora of safer gambling measures, Africa, according to Crucial Compliance, remains a “ripe” market for operators to implement operations with some regulations and awareness of problem gambling lagging behind.

After announcing its ambitions in the region, Crucial revealed that later this month, the consultancy firm will be hosting a “safer gambling hackathons”, designed to bring stakeholders, operators, government and those affected by gambling problems, to co-design solutions which will influence positive policy amendments and enhanced regulatory regimes. 

With active partners across Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa, the group is working alongside strategic consultancy Adam Bradford Agency to implement its action plan for the region.

According to the National Center for Problem Gambling and National Research Council, 53 per cent of adults in Nigeria gamble every day and that up to eight per cent of the population is struggling with gambling problems.

In Rwanda, new gambling licences have been recently suspended by MINICOM, the Ministry for Trade and Industry, further backed up by the Ministry of Sports, in order to ensure continued compliance. 

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Addressing gambling related harm has become a key focus of the betting and gaming industry as we’re seeing more markets open up, and more mature markets undergo a regulatory review. This is particularly apparent in the UK which is awaiting the findings of the 2005 Gambling Act Review.

Technology has an increasingly important role to play in upholding safer gambling standards, and according to Crucial Compliance CEO Paul Foster, this can bring numerous benefits for betting operators – particularly in areas such as affordability modelling. 

For large-scale operators, technology can be essential in identifying the first signs of gambling harm. This, however, must be followed by a human-led interaction. 

“I think they both have a place,” he explained. “Within every market, you have to look at what publicly available information you can get and then what you have to do is model that in relation to player protection – use it at the core of an algorithm or as a model for actually spotting it. In that way, it can be used very successfully.

“The issue we’ve got is that there’s an expectation that this is going to be the silver bullet and, unfortunately, there’s very few countries in the world where you can get the level of financial data that will give you an accurate affordability figure.”

As with any developments in the betting and gaming industry, particularly with regards to player protection, there are challenges and hurdles. 

Notably, Foster maintained that companies cannot completely disregard the ‘human touch’ when it comes to creating an effective harm minimisation strategy, adding that technology should complement the human decision making process.

He explained: “Technology has to be tuned into your business and once that has happened, it has to flag high risk cases which need human intervention. This is because the only way to effectively look at reducing gambling-related harm is to track it in the form of behavioural change. 

“Identification is only the first element. Whilst the system and AI will notice behavioural change, it can’t interpret what that information might mean. For example, it cannot comprehend why you might deposit three times as much on a Tuesday night – whereas the human eye might notice a casino win the day before which has just been deposited, or that the player has just reached payday and is making a long-term deposit.

“Safer gambling is always going to need human intervention to review on a case by case basis, especially in relation to high risk and very high risk cases. You initially need technology to identify behavioural change but you cannot rely on technology all the way through.”

Discussions soon moved towards the introduction of more stringent affordability checks. Many across the industry have voiced concerns over whether enhanced checks could “have negative impacts on the customer”.

Although Foster also noted that the same could be said of an over-reliance on technology should a “sledgehammer approach” be adopted. 

This, he asserted, was the case when affordability checks were first implemented as the industry was and is still learning. He added that this remains an issue with technological development on player protection. 

He continued: “The problem with any change in regulation and any new technology is that until we really understand it we will over rely on the initial solution to keep compliant, which impacts operator effectiveness and the customer. 

“What we are doing often is implementing change to match regulation with the technology available and without understanding. This means a lot of these changes initially can have negative impacts on the customer rather than positively impacting them until we manage to train the technology.”

It is particularly important for betting firms to review the technology they have available as it is a ‘constant battle to keep it up to date’, especially methods such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

With AI being the ‘big word’ in player protection, Foster focused heavily on the importance of understanding how technology needs to be interpreted and trained so that it can be used effectively. 

“AI models are ultimately only as good as the person writing them,” he advised. “And the major problem facing the gambling industry right now with regards to their adoption is that AI is still in its infancy.

“As we look forward and we increase the level of high quality investment in this area then what we will see is better and better AI intervention. But it is very difficult to take an AI model used elsewhere in the gambling industry or outside and convert it into a player protection tool.”

He added: “All I would say is don’t buy something that is shiny or new when what you need is old fashioned advanced algorithms.”

Providing industry stakeholders with a snapshot of what to expect from the review, the UK’s Gambling Minister Chris Philp has repeatedly stated that he would like to see greater use of technology and data as tools for counteracting and minimising gambling-related harm. 

Foster agreed that this approach could not be more important for both operators and the UK Gambling Commission, as he noted that the UK’s approach to data has lagged behind many of its European counterparts – although “nobody has yet got it right”.

“Some are a lot better at getting data. If you look at ARM in Italy, it tracks all the data you need, so you can put a player protection system in via a regulator,” he commented.

“In Spain and France, their regulatory returns highlight data where you could set the data across the market for player protection – as is the case in the Netherlands and even Sweden. What they have is a framework that they haven’t yet extrapolated to player protection, but they can. 

“In the UK, we have the opposite. We have poor data collection, we have a poor single view of customers across the industry. It is a mess and as a result, the UK is going to struggle to catch up to the rest of Europe when it comes to data, not when it comes to regulation.”

With regards to the actions of the gambling companies themselves, the CEO argued that firms should put their primary focus on data before making any decisions with regards to technological implementation. 

“Operators need to look at their data first, and build a technology solution based on that available data,” he stated. “Every operator has different data, every operator stores it in a different way, and therefore the operator has to understand what their data is before they can even consider a technological solution.

“It is only data that can drive a true customer protection strategy, and it’s how you manipulate and use that data which makes the difference. Gambling companies have been brilliant for years at using that data for customer acquisition, retention, bonuses and promotions. But it is that same data that can be used to help player protection.”

In order to effectively leverage this data and develop a strong technological basis for player protection, operators must also deploy a strong recruitment strategy in this area, both internally and externally.

“When it comes to hiring, what’s really important is that you pick the people either within your business or outside who are interested in player protection, who want to learn about it, who have passion for it, and are willing to adapt their skills and their qualifications to player protection data analysis rather than just general data analysis.”

Ultimately, however, there is ‘no silver bullet’ to player protection and problem gambling, and further investment is needed – in time, money and people – for greater development in this area. 

“Compliance isn’t a profit centre but it is a cost centre,” Foster concluded. “If you look at the financial services industry, the insurance industry, pharmaceutical industry, they invest heavily in compliance for this reason, compared to gaming companies. The industry must invest now if we are to manage effective change.”

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The UK-based group, which is the parent company behind affiliate portal Slots Temple, is striving to bolster its responsibility and compliance efforts, following entry into Responsible Affiliates in Gambling being secured last year.

“Responsibility has been a primary focus for Digital Division since its inception and the partnership with Crucial Compliance was the obvious next step in our growth,” explained Suzanna Jiggens-Johnson, marketing director of Digital Division.

“With the launch of our Slots Temple tournaments offering, which allows players to participate in free-to-play tournaments on our site, we wanted to ensure that, as a leading, responsible, affiliate, we remained highly compliant in our behaviour, whilst providing a first-class experience to our players.

“Working hand in hand with the team at Crucial meant we benefited from expert guidance as we grow our business, and haven’t just got a software solution.

“CBI delivers a single customer view, there is one single and absolute truth across the business rather than a marketing, finance and exec view for the same data.”

This integration aims to ensure that every aspect of a player’s journey is managed from the point of first contact with the site and onsite game play, through to the point at which they exit to an operator. 

Through personalised CRM communications, with responsible gambling messaging interlaced through the entire lifecycle, players are monitored across the entire product portfolio.

Andy Masters, COO at Crucial Compliance, stated: “We are delighted to have been selected by the team at Digital Division and to be providing them with our powerful crucial business intelligence and crucial player protection solutions.

“We offer the only platform that has been built from the ground up by igaming professionals for the specific purpose of player management through automated behavioural processes, with a focus on sustainable revenues from players while keeping them in the ifun zone’. The tool is also supported by an experienced training, data and analytical team.

“CBI improves the output and efficiency of the operations and CRM team, allowing the team at Digital Division to focus on strategy and recruiting and managing players responsibly. We look forward to working closely with Digital Division in what will be a long and successful relationship.”

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As part of the extended partnership, the operator, behind online casino brands MerkurSlot.com and MerkurCasino.com, has integrated the Crucial Business Intelligence into its gaming platform. 

CBI is a system that provides a single customer view, with advanced behavioural segmentation, predictive modelling, marketing attributions across all channels, as well as analytics and over 25 KPI reports.

Andy Masters, COO at Crucial Compliance, stated: “We are delighted to have strengthened our partnership with Eyas Gaming and to be providing the operator with our powerful Crucial Business Intelligence system. 

“It is the only platform that has been built from the ground up by igaming professionals for the specific purpose of player management through automated behavioural processes and with a focus on sustainable revenues from players while keeping them in the ‘fun zone’. The tool is also supported by an experienced training, data and analytical team, helping Eyas recruit to scale.

“CBI improves the output and efficiency of the operations and CRM team, allowing the Eyas team to focus on strategy rather than running to standstill with lesser or legacy databases. We look forward to working closely with Eyas Gaming in what is a long and successful partnership in the making.”

On the integration of CBI, Eyas noted that it was “two-fold”. Firstly, into the Bede platform and secondly to calibrate and customise its chosen CRM provider, Adobe Campaign. The integration is going live with an initial 18 separate customer journeys, with another 40 expected to go live as the product portfolio increases.

The predictive modelling covers off 13 key areas ranging from churn prevention through to “Affordability Check Trajectory”, allowing RG teams to prepare players for source of funds checks. 

Joe Goldstein, head of financial planning and analysis at Eyas Gaming, remarked: “We took a best of breed system in CBI to ensure that the usual barriers to success simply don’t exist. Working hand in hand with the team at Crucial meant not only that we could scale our internal team quickly, but it also meant that we benefited from expert guidance on the integration and configuration of Adobe into Bede. 

“Crucial oversaw this integration so that every aspect of a player’s journey is managed through an almost individual personal communication but with Responsible Gambling communications interlaced through the lifecycle. We want new players but critically we only want them playing within their means and across our entire product portfolio.

“The reports are fully dynamic and they allow us to track every element of the customer lifecycle. They have also developed financial and regulatory reporting solutions for us, which means I have more time to understand the numbers rather than preparing reporting myself. 

“Because CBI delivers a single customer view, it means there is one single and absolute truth across the business rather than a marketing, finance and exec view for the same data.  As we move into other markets and currencies, the scalable system and team at Crucial gives Eyas complete confidence to accelerate our plans, as we are.”

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