Kindred Group has partnered with Gamban to launch a new product for protecting players in the US for its Unibet brand.
Players throughout the country will be able to stop themselves from accessing gambling content across a variety of devices.
Through the software’s US launch, Kindred is the first gambling operator to offer player protection of this kind in the country.
Taking European experience across the Atlantic
Maris Catania is the Head of Responsible Gambling and Research at Kindred Group. Commenting on the product launch, she said: “Unibet today offers customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana a safe and exciting gambling experience, and has applied for licenses in Illinois and Iowa.
“It has always been our ambition to bring our European know-how and expertise in Responsible Gambling to the US and our long-standing successful partnership with Gamban perfectly aligns with this ambition, as well as our journey towards zero revenue from harmful gambling by 2023.
“We are proud to be the very first operator in the US to offer inter-state protection to our customers and we strongly believe this will be an important step for the industry.”
Ambitious player safety goals
Kindred has already set out lofty player protection objectives. By 2023, the company wants to have 0% of its revenue coming from harmful gambling across all brands.
In Europe, Gamban’s software is already offered by Kindred for free. This is also the case for players in the Australian market.
The Malta-based operator is the first gambling operator to publish reports identifying how much of its revenue comes from harmful gambling. Kindred plans to share this each quarter to provide transparency on how it’s doing in this respect.
“Incredibly excited”
Gamban Co-Founder Jack Symons also spoke about the launch of the product in the US. He said: “We’re incredibly excited to partner with Unibet and offer our blocking software in the US – it’s a huge step forward for the industry.
“There’s no regulatory pressure for gambling operators to offer blocking software, so it’s fantastic Unibet is taking it upon itself to offer increased protection for its customers in the US and on a global scale.
“This highlights the evolution of the industry in recognising how products like ours can protect their players and the sustainability of their companies, as well as the wider industry.”
Symons added: “We always recommend using other barriers in addition to gambling-blocking software, such as self-exclusion. The friction these offer give the individual a chance to think between urge and action. During this time, they can ride out their urge or think again before acting on temptation.
“In a world where the lure of immediate gratification through digital activity is increasingly tempting, we want to help people regain control and balance – and by using Gamban, they can do that.”
