London Stock Exchange-listed sports betting and gambling operator Entain has introduced a range of initiatives to help educate gaming and esports players in the UK and Europe about potential risks of harm.
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Through the company’s not-for-profit Entain Foundation, the operator is working with a number of partners such as gambling harm consultancy EPIC Risk Management, the Counter-Strike Professional Players Association (CSPPA), and teletherapy firm Kindbridge.
The firm’s collaboration with EPIC Risk Management and the CSPPA will see both entities educate players on online addiction and gaming disorders. Moreover, Kindbridge and Entain Foundation will collaborate with Game Quitters, a community for victims of gaming disorder, to launch the ‘Mind Your Game’ initiative in the UK.
Enatin owns a collective of well-known sports betting and casino brands including the likes of Coral, Ladbrokes, Eurobet and Foxy Bingo.
Grainne Hurst, Director of Safer Gaming and Regulation at Entain, commented: “Our business is all about understanding and meeting the needs of customers, which means offering the most entertaining experiences whilst doing everything we can to protect them.
“At the core of our approach to sustainability is our belief that delivering the highest possible levels of player safety and protection is the best way to guarantee our long-term success.”
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According to the release, the Mind Your Game initiative looks to provide players and their families with facts about the mental health challenges faced by gamers. This includes ‘specific issues to be aware of; tips and strategies to reduce potential harm; and, advice on how to find support’.
A series of videos on esports betting and skin gambling have already been released on Game Quitters’s YouTube channel.
Esports Insider says: As esports and gaming becomes more popular, associated risks also unfortunately follow. Entain’s initiatives, if handled correctly, could help educate the sector’s growing audience about the risks of esports betting and addiction, which should make for a healthier scene.