Player Protection Forum 2022

Event Phone: +44 7734 215166

Conference Overview:

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. 

In the UK, a full legislative review of the 2005 Gambling Act is underway. Gambling harms are now recognised and spoken about as a public health issue. We saw a number of regulatory changes rolled out throughout lockdown and more on the horizon. We continue to see record levels of regulatory fines and even licence suspensions.

The mainstream media are also fuelling 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 other jurisdictions we see regulatory reform and emerging markets bring new business opportunities coupled with new player protection considerations.

Those working in this area understand that 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, look back and what has happened and forward to what is yet to come. Our goal, as always, is to provide practical advice on what the next steps need to be. 

We believe that change comes from within. Join us in London on 1st and 2nd March for what promises to be a lively and informative event.

“The supremely focused KnowNow Limited conferences with an always excellent choice of speakers should be regarded as “must attend” events by anyone interested in achieving the highest standards of compliance in the gambling sector.”

David Clifton, Director, Clifton Davies Consultancy

 

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 

 

Conference Agenda – Day 1

09:00 Registration and refreshments

09:45 Opening remarks from the chair

Adrian Sladdin, Director, Seventhwave

09:50 Fireside Chat with Simo Dragicevic on how safer gambling has progressed so far and the role of technology as we move forward.

Adrian Sladdin, Director, Seventhwave

Simo Dragicevic

10:25 The Infinite Recovery Project  – A joined up approach to helping potentially vulnerable customers

Jason Shiers and Paula Murphy, The Infinite Recovery Project

11:00 Networking Coffee break

11:30  What operators need to learn from the Football Index

Niki Stephens, Partner in Betting & Gaming, Mishcon de Reya LLP

Guy Wilkes, Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP

12:00 Panel – Where next? Knowing your customer in emerging markets

Peter Murray, Head of Gaming, Veriff

Andy Atha, Chief Operating Officer, Anonymind

Norma Campbell, Head of Regulatory Compliance, Betfred

Neil Tyson, Director, Rightway Compliance

13:00 Networking lunch break

14:00 Revisiting safer game design after implementing the Gambling Commissions new RTS requirements for online slots

Paul Dolman-Darrall, Chief Executive Officer, G Group

14:35 The application of Blockchain technology in responsible gambling

Nick Hill, Executive Director, PremierChain Consulting & Gambling

15:10 Networking coffee break

15:30 Sports sponsorship is under the spotlight with calls to ban gambling businesses from sponsoring football teams. Is this the latest bandwagon or will it help make gambling safer for all? 

Moderator: Harry Pratt, Sports Journalist, Reach Plc 

Kirsty Caldwell, Founder / Director, Betsmart Consulting

Matthew Hickey, Chief Executive, Gordon Moody Association

David Richardson, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Better Change

16:30 Closing remarks and close of day 1

 

Conference Agenda – Day 2 

09:00 Registration and refreshments

09:45 Opening remarks from the chair

Adrian Sladdin, Director, Seventhwave 

09:50 Fireside chat with the BGC

David Clifton, Director, Clifton Davies Consultancy Limited

Brigid Simmonds, Chairman, The Betting & Gaming Council

10:25 Experience of Problem gambling and the Judicial System – What can be done to provide support and reduce the risk of repeat offending?

Steven Girling, Co-Founder, ReframeCoaching and Expert by Experience. 

11:00 Networking coffee break

11:30 The Gambling Journeys and Behaviours of Young People

Nicola Catchpole, Associate Director and Jack Wilson, Head of Digital, 2CV 

12:00 Panel – The importance of education, what are we doing to ensure young people have a realistic and informed view about gambling and will it help bring in a generation of responsible gamblers? 

Moderator: Adrian Sladdin, Director, Seventhwave

Louisa Clark, Compliance Consultant, Betsmart

Paul Dorbon, Head of Compliance, Grace Media Limited

Jason Shiers, Certified Psychotherapist and Founder, Infinite Recovery Project

13:00 Networking lunch break

14:00 General discussion session on customer journeys – joining up the operators commercial model, regulatory framework and customer experience.

Led by Ben Haden, Director of Research and Statistics, UK Gambling Commission

15:00 Networking coffee break

15:30 The C word! Collaboration of course! We as an industry have been told for some time now that we need to do more of this. What else can be done to help make gambling safer, improve standards and ensure we have a player protection culture across all of our businesses?

Moderator: Paula Murphy, Managing Director, KnowNow Limited

Thomas Fearns, Responsible Gambling Officer, GIMO – Global Interactive Marketing Online Ltd

Paul Foster, Chief Executive, Crucial Compliance

Jessica Maier, Head of Government Affairs, Play’n GO

16:30 Closing remarks and close of conference 

 

Workshop Overview:

On the 3rd March, Adrian Sladdin, Director of Seventhwave will hold a full day workshop designed to build on the learning across the two days.

Educating Our Customers

Recent reports suggest that young people can be the most vulnerable around problematic gambling. This workshop looks at how we understand the causes of gambling issues in this demographic, recognise the associated signs of problem gambling as well as understand the part that education should play in the modern gambling environment. It will also explore how gaming companies can invoke the ‘education’ agenda in a positive way with new and current players, including considering the on-boarding process as well as recruiting for the future.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is for those in senior leadership positions, safer gambling departments or anyone in a customer-facing role. 

What Will Be Covered?

During the day we will look at the following topics:

• available data, vulnerable players, knowing the odds, current education programmes as a baseline.

• explore our own education offer around our gameplay, terms and conditions, range of offers, financial information, special offers

• educating ourselves on when gambling becomes problematic for young people
• consider the onboarding process as an educational opportunity
• discuss the challenges for the industry around recruitment from 18 – 25 age group