Digital Conference: The Player Protection Forum 2021

Event Phone: +44 7734 215166

  • January 26, 2021
    9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Player protection is a key ethical and commercial issue for anyone working within the gambling industry. The industry is firmly under the microscope and this doesn’t seem to be something that is going to let up anytime soon. 

The health study shows that there are 340,000 problem gamblers in the UK and 1.7 million people at risk of becoming a problem gambler. Gambling Commission statistics show that public trust in our industry is declining and the number of customer complaints they receive is increasing.

In the UK, a full legislative review of the 2005 Gambling Act is on the horizon. Gambling harms are now recognised and spoken about as a public health issue. The ban on gambling on credit came into effect as of 14th April 2020 and we saw further new restrictions rolled out throughout lockdown. 

This is all set against a backdrop of regulators implementing tougher restrictions and flexing their muscles when it comes to enforcing them. The UK Gambling Commission has issued more than £34million in penalty packages since the start of 2020 and made it very clear that this approach will continue. 

The mainstream media are also fueling the fire, barely a week goes by without a story relating to problem gambling and the message seems to be that the operators are not doing their bit. This stance in turn continues to drive negative public opinion and miss-trust in the industry.

In reality player protection is a very complex issue. There is no simple solution and the industry is working on multiple fronts to address the problems and minimise harm. There are calls for collaboration and at KnowNow we hope to facilitate just that. The Player Protection Forum will look into the causes of problem gambling, current thinking about how to combat it both in terms of prevention and treatment. We’ll also be talking about creating a business culture that supports best practice, spotting problems early and dealing with them effectively. We will bring together key stakeholders from within and around the industry and provide practical advice on what the next steps need to be. 

We believe that change comes from within. Join us online on 26th January for what promises to be a lively and informative event.

Who should attend

  • Senior management at gambling operators
  • Heads of compliance at gambling operators
  • Heads of Player Protection or Social Responsibility at gambling operators
  • In-house lawyers legal professionals at gambling operators 
  • Anybody involved in player support and treatment services
  • Consultants working with the gambling industry
  • Regulators 

Agenda

Time slots are provisional and exact timings may be subject to change.

09:30 – 10:15 Opening remarks and a review of the current player protection landscape 

David Clifton, Partner, Clifton Davies Consulting

10:30 – 11:00 Fireside Chat: We talk a lot about player protection culture. Where have we come from over the last few years and how are we actually progressing with this?

Paula Murphy, Founder and Managing Director, KnowNow Ltd

Pedro Romero, Head of Safer Gambling Policy, William Hill

11:15 – 11:45 Player protection and game design – What should our customers know about the relative risk levels of the games they play and how should we communicate this to them?

Paul Dolman-Darrall, CEO, G Group

12:00 – 13:00 Panel – It’s been said that gambling harm is a public health issue not a public relations issue. What does this actually mean for us as operators and how should it change our approach to player protection? 

Moderator: Adrian Sladdin, Director, Seventh Wave

Kirsty Caldwell, Director, Betsmart Consulting

Chris Conroy, Chief Data Officer, Future Anthem

Jason Shiers, Certified Psychotherapist & Coach, Founder of www.infiniterecovery.co.uk

David Williams, Director of Public Affairs, Rank Group

14:00 – 14:30 Delivering a national education programme 

Mike Kenward, Development Director, GamCare and Kev Clelland, Operations Director, YGAM

14:45 – 15:15 Psychology of problem gambling in women – time to take note as statistics show the number of female problem gamblers increasing at a faster rate than men

Liz Karter, Founder and Senior Therapist, Level Ground and Author

15:30 – 16:30 Panel – Addressing the going next door challenge. What does the industry need to do to protect players, address affordability and work together? 

Moderator: Richard Williams, Partner, Keystone Law

Nicole Garrett, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Betting and Gaming Council (BGC)

Will Mace, CEO, EQ-Connect

Neil Tyson, Director, Rightway Compliance

Ray Wilson, Director, AMLGS

Venue:  

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