Technology

Gambling charity GambleAware has announced that it will be backing the gambling blocking software known as Gamban, following a period of research. 

The research was carried out by Winning Moves, which was charged with weighing up the technical and therapeutic aspects of three specialised gambling solutions.

According to Marc Etches, the chief executive of GambleAware, blocking software was an important part of the overall treatment plan for problem gamblers and those at risk, who often find it difficult to resist the gambling adverts that have become ubiquitous across the media, though he emphasised that such software was best employed as part of a treatment program:

This report reinforces the point that such tools work best as part of a treatment package tailored to the individual, rather than being effective in isolation. This evaluation gives us the confidence we needed to fund the use of this software for anyone who is referred to our treatment services.”

Technically effective

After analysing each of the software options, Winning Moves found that Gamban was the most effective when it came to blocking gambling sites.

The Associate Director of Winning Moves, Karl King, said that in his company’s experience, problem gamblers were often not aware of the existence of blocking software, or its effectiveness and that it can be a valuable method of self-treatment.

GambleAware intend to make the Gamban software available for existing clients of its national gambling treatment program, with the aim of encouraging more people at risk of becoming problem gamblers to use the app. Under an agreement with GambleAware, anyone who calls the National Gambling Helpline following a referral, will be able to use the Gamban software free of charge.

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Andie Hughes

Andie Hughes is a UK-based freelance betting and gambling writer with over a decade of experience in the industry, having written for Betfair, ESPN, Boylesports, Sporting Life and various other popular betting sites. Contact Andie at andiehughes73@gmail.com.

Leading UK bookmaker, Sky Bet has announced the launch of three new betting tools as part of its attempt to promote safer gambling and to respond to public criticism of the betting industry.

The ‘Three Simple Tools’ campaign will run nationwide and will feature well known ‘Sky Soccer Saturday’ pundits Charlie Nicholas, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson in what is seen as the follow up to a previous Sky Bet safety campaign promoting the ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ campaign.

The campaign will attempt to raise audience awareness of gambling controls that the company has put in place, with each of the Sky Soccer pundits representing one of the tools: Deposit Limits, Cool-off Periods and a new Profit and Loss function capability.

Improving industry standards

According to Sky Bet, the tools are aimed at ensuring that betting doesn’t get in the way of enjoying sport, and the campaign is to help customers understand and use these tools on a regular basis.

The new campaign is part of the bookmaker’s commitment to helping the gambling industry in the UK to improve its standards. Sky Bet has previously committed to spending £3.5 million in advertising on the promotion of safer gambling awareness.

Announcing the campaign, the CEO of Sky Betting and Gaming, Richard Flint, said that it was part of the company’s drive to help customers stay informed and safe:

“Research indicates customers increasingly want to bet with trusted companies that provide a safe environment. Advertising forms a part of an increasingly multi-channel dialogue with the public in order to keep making betting and gaming safer and that’s what we are doing here.”

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Andie Hughes

Andie Hughes is a UK-based freelance betting and gambling writer with over a decade of experience in the industry, having written for Betfair, ESPN, Boylesports, Sporting Life and various other popular betting sites. Contact Andie at andiehughes73@gmail.com.

The PRO 14 Rugby organisation has underlined its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the competition by announcing a deal with SportRadar.com Integrity Services.

Under the terms of the partnership, each of the 152 games played in the Guinness PRO14 each season will be carefully monitored by Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System (FDS), which is known throughout the industry as one of the most advanced bet monitoring protocols.

The FDS is a key part of Sportradar’s portfolio of integrity measures that also includes automated alerts from bookmakers around the world, and anonymised account-level data from over 100 betting operators to provide a complete integrity-safeguarding solution.

Integrity related threats

The Managing Director of Integrity Services at Sportradar, Andreas Krannich said that he was looking forward to working with the rugby authority:

We are delighted to be working alongside Guinness PRO14 and offering our expertise to help safeguard the competition against integrity related threats.”

The Guinness PRO14 is the latest sports body to announce a deal with Sportradar, following the Six Nations, European Championship Rugby, New Zealand Rugby Union, Australian Rugby Union, Italian Rugby Union and the Rugby Football Union.

According to the CEO of the PRO14, Martin Anayi, the deal with Sportradar was part of the company’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the sport:

“As the Guinness PRO14 continues to grow and set new standards on the pitch and on the commercial front, it is vital that we ensure that the integrity of the Championship remains uncompromised. Behind the scenes we are doing a lot of work around governance and this partnership with Sportradar adds an extra level of credibility and scrutiny to the tournament.”

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Andie Hughes

Andie Hughes is a UK-based freelance betting and gambling writer with over a decade of experience in the industry, having written for Betfair, ESPN, Boylesports, Sporting Life and various other popular betting sites. Contact Andie at andiehughes73@gmail.com.

A leading bookmaker has launched a new range of markets, which will enable punters to bet on their favourite star footballer.

European operator 1xBet has added new markets known as Player v Player and Player v Team, which enables punters to wager on one player scoring more than the opposing team, and on individual players to outscore any of their opposite numbers. The markets would in theory make it possible for punters to back a player such as Lionel Messi to outscore the whole opposing team, which could be particularly useful in cases where Messi’s Barcelona take on minor teams.

According to Eugene Kiryukhin, the company’s Director for Development of International Partners, the new markets are an opportunity for fans and punters to weigh up the merits of opposing players:

Football is a team game. But sometimes football players become superstars with fans of their own – and an inspiration for the young. Often, the whole team is organised around one, star footballer. And so, we thought it would be interesting to assess the contribution of players to the overall match result, with the help of our new markets.”

Increased advertising presence

At the same time as it launched the new markets, 1xBet also revealed details of its Bet Builder option, which gives customers the opportunity to combine several bets into one, including bets made in markets such as match result, total goals and correct score

The new markets also follow on from recent announcements by 1xBet that it was increasing its advertising presence after when securing a long term deal with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, for whom it is now the Official Betting Partner for Africa. The company will be featured at the club’s home matches on the LED perimeter system and will also be given a presence on a website and digital channel across Africa until 2022.

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Andie Hughes

Andie Hughes is a UK-based freelance betting and gambling writer with over a decade of experience in the industry, having written for Betfair, ESPN, Boylesports, Sporting Life and various other popular betting sites. Contact Andie at andiehughes73@gmail.com.