ECONOMY

Bwin believes that fun comes in equal parts with responsibility. That principle is part of bwin’s philosophy from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and it remains true to its vision. The consecutive lockdowns, the increased exposure to advertising and the growth of online gaming have made clear that Responsible Gaming is now more important than ever. All this time, bwin chose to maintain its responsible attitude and establish itself as a brand that puts people at the center of everything, contrary to those in online gaming and betting industry who tried to take advantage of the situation at any cost. Protection of the player is a matter of high priority for bwin.

Bwin cultivated a Responsible Gaming work culture among its employees and attune this approach with all marketing actions and campaigns. From the beginning of the outbreak, all customers were informed with personalized notification of the tools we offer in order to set limits and keep control, as well as proposing frequent breaks which include curfews and cooling off periods. Equivalent messages were communicated by our social media department, after applying appropriate filters which included only the audience of 21+ age, as the current legislation mandates.

On bwin’s website a banner displaying the message “Responsible Gaming – Fun with limits” redirected to a landing page with tips and information of the tools offered, as well as the relevant help channels with expertized teams. Bwin also made sure that during every lockdown, a time where the audience was more vulnerable to excessive advertising and contrary to competitors who tried to exploit the situation, its television commercials were broadcasted only during the permitted hours, as the State regulation and ethcis mandate.

Bwin’s Responsible Gaming strategy developed both in national and international level, so that the results would be maximized.

In that context, Entain, the parent group of bwin, built on a new costumer-first strategy which consists of seven core pillars as set out below:

Understanding the problem and providing the best solutions
Educating all key stakeholders – including the national rollout of youth education programs, as well as state-school awareness campaigns
Promoting responsible attitudes – leading the industry in agreeing responsible marketing campaigns.
Empowering customers – rolling out ‘markers of harm’ algorithms and additional safer gambling mechanisms for early detection and prevention of problem gambling.
Funding treatment for those in need – increasing our donation to research, education and treatment on problem gambling tenfold, from 0.1% to 1% of gross gaming revenue (GGR).
Championing responsible product design – developing more responsible product design principles.
Drive cultural change within our business – ensuring that a safer gambling approach underpins all aspects of our business.

Via the Entain group, bwin implements the strictest security protocols, something that’s reflected in practice through the dozens checks that are carried out on a daily basis and from funding research on the effects of gambling excessively. At the same time, bwin offers all its customers various tools such as deposit, spending and time limits, as well as other options, so that everyone can gamble responsibly. Furthermore, each customer has the opportunity of curfews, cooling off periods or permanent self-exclusion. It also has created a series of algorithms to detect possible anomalies. Helping each and everyone to play safely is considered an obligation from bwin’s side. The same applies to the help provided to people who need it and ask for it from our expertized teams. In addition, clear guide instructions are provided, in cooperation with the top gaming providers, so that every game is safe and according to the group’s philosophy.

For its efforts, Entain were recognized as the Safer Gambling Operator of the Year at the industry’s premier awards event, the EGR Operator Awards.

At the same time, bwin supports initiatives that generally inform the society and raise awareness about Responsible Gaming in every aspect of and not only with online gaming.

Based on the corporate social responsibility strategy that bwin is materializing proudly the past few years, the new campaign on Responsible Gaming was presented, starring Kostas Sloukas. The Greek national and Olympiacos B.C. is bwin’s ambassador of Responsible Gaming and his participation was really important. Sloukas himself helped, so that the deeper meaning of the TV spot would receive attention and get positive publicity.

As part of the campaign, bwin used the tagline “True Supporter of Responsible Gaming”, which was also incorporated into the advertising promotions that followed for the two main products: sportsbook and casino. The tagline was placed in a notable position in bwin’s website, making clear to every player of the brand’s philosophy when it comes to Responsible Gaming.

Relevant videos:

TV spot starring Kostas Sloukas: https://youtu.be/Dna9ht7T7ZM