ECONOMY

BUSINESS: 381 PRACTICES


TOPIC:

Initiative

RESPONSIBLE GAMING BY OPAP

RESPONSIBLE GAMING BY OPAP
SUBMITTED FROM:

OPAP S.A.

OPAP was founded in 1958 and is the leading company of the Greek gaming industry. It is an integral part of the country, showcasing continuous and consistent contribution to the socio-economic development of Greece.

 

Read more:  www.somethingbetter.gr


Contact

Objective Action

OPAP, as the leading gaming company in Greece aims to create and offer to the players the best products, by adopting the highest standards of integrity and responsibility and at the same time produce value for its shareholders and the society in which it operates.

In this framework, through the strategy and the specific initiatives of Responsible Gaming, we seek to make gaming and betting safer for all people. Therefore, we undertake every effort to continuously support our customers to meet their needs in a responsible and transparent manner. Our key focus is to:

  • Create a safe environment for our players: We ensure that player safety is at the core of the design, development and distribution of our products, so that all consumers are able to make informed choices about play and support services.
  • Protect minors and other vulnerable groups: We protect minors through the prohibition of their entry and stay at our stores and especially through the prohibition of their participation in games of chance provided by the Company
  • Educate general public: The best way to keep gaming fun is to have the right information at hand when you play. Thus we provide consumers with timely, accurate and sufficient information about the products, the terms and the conditions of their use, as well as the risks and consequences that might arise through the irrational participation in games of chance in order to be able 
 

Target Audience

  • general public
  • employees
  • agents
  • employees in agencies
  • partners
  • suppliers
  • stakeholder groups (i.e. Academic Community, Therapeutic organizations etc.)
 

Duration

Responsible Gaming strategy was launched in 2014 and still continues


Description

Responsible Gaming is a foundational strategic priority the runs across OPAP’s operation and defines the company. Its basic principles are the following:

  • Play for fun: If you play games of chance, the result is never certain and losing is always a possibility. Look at gaming as entertainment.
  • Comply with age limits: OPAP stores are limited to players over 18. Online game and PLAY games are limited to players over 21.
  • Set time and spending limits: Set a limit to the amount of time you want to play. Before you start, determine in advance the amount of money you want to spend.
  • Take frequent breaks: If playing games of chance is your only activity, you increase the risk of losing control over your gaming habits.

The Responsible Gaming framework reflects the one adopted by the World Lottery Association Framework and consists of the following activities:

  • Research: Development of researches that aim to provide understanding of the issues that are related to excessive play, the need for communication and integration of the Responsible Gaming rules across OPAP’s operation.  Based on the findings, we design interventions such as the educational program for pre-teen children that we develop with the collaboration of Adolescent Health Unit, with the objective of cultivating to children protection mechanisms from high risk behaviors.
  • Game Design: Responsible Gaming is integrated in the design of new games and their social impact is assessed.
  • Employees Program: Information to employees on Responsible Gaming and enforcement of a dedicated Responsible Gaming Policy, ensuring that it governs OPAP’s employees, OPAP’s agents and agencies employees’ daily behavior and professional conduct.
  • Agents Program: Training of retail network so that in complies with Responsible Gaming regulatory framework. Agents are called to comply with the framework, otherwise penalties are imposed.
  • Remote Gaming Channels: Compliance of all online products with Responsible Gaming (i.e. customer spend control, innovative age control system)
  • Advertising and Marketing: Development and application of a self-regulation code for appropriate and transparent communication/advertisement (additionally to the effective legislation)
  • Player Education: sensitization and awareness campaigns for the possible effects of excessive play, players balanced behavior and the importance of protecting minors (signage for agencies, informative leaflet on Responsible Gaming, self-assessment questionnaire in accordance with the Canadian Problem Gambling Index). http://responsiblegaming.opap.gr/
  • Treatment Referral: Support of the operation of 1114 helpline for tele-counseling to people with problems related to excessive play in collaboration with KETHE-ALFA ([email protected]).
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Collaboration with significant Stakeholders for the continuous improvement of the Responsible Gaming framework.  
  • Reporting and Measurement: Annual reports on the company’s commitments, its actions and their results

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Impact on Society

In 2022

  • Trained 392 owners and employees of OPAP stores on Responsible Gaming
  • Trained 176 owners and employees of PLAY stores on Responsible Gaming
  • Trained 150 wholesalers, distributors and street vendors on Responsible Gaming
  • Communicated Responsible Gaming through a 360 campaign with the key message “When the ball is lost, control is lost as well”, which was promoted through traditional and online media  as well as through the digital b2b platforms (opapnet | play and opapnet | laheia) that are used to disseminate messages to the audiences of OPAP and PLAY store personnel, street vendors, wholesalers and small drop outlets personnel.
  • Developed the Responsible Gaming Ambassador role that aims to provide support and inform agents on the signs which they can detect regarding problematic behavior, as well as the appropriate management of such players so that they can timely intervene, guiding players to accept professional assistance.
  • Informed 100% of OPAP employees on Responsible Gaming principles
  • Updated the content of OPAP Induction training, which is mandatory for all new comers in the company  
  • Trained our contact center team (Online, Retail and Hellenic Lotteries) to handle players with problematic behavior.
  • Developed the Safety Net Algorithm that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to predict gaming behavior in games of chance, and to operate as a mechanism of timely warning, aiming at the protection of our customers.
  • Also, developed the Online Customer Support Robot feature that improves the handling of communication with our customers by automatically prioritizing emails related to Responsible Gaming.
  • Performed 5,661 visits to our stores to ensure that Responsible Gaming principles are followed.


Initiative Location

All over Greece


Working with Organization

  • KETHEA-ALFA (operation of the 1114 Helpline to support players who face problems related to excessive play and their families)
  • National and Kapodestrian University of Athens (internal communication  / design and development of targeted educational seminars)
  • “Panagioti and Aglaia Kyriakou” Adolescent Health Unit (design and development of the «Youth Power» educational program for the development of support mechanisms against high risk behaviors to pre-adolescent children and parents sensitization)

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Workers Participation

OPAP employees are one of the key target groups of the Responsible Gaming strategy. More specifically:

  • OPAP sensitizes and informs all its employees on Responsible Gaming
  • KETHE-ALFA partners have trained the Customer Relations Department, so that they are capable to handle the calls they receive from people with related issues
  • The sales team has been trained to cascade the basic Responsible Gaming network to the extended sales network
  • online trainings for employees in collaboration with the National and Kapodestrian University of Athens, aiming to inform on Responsible Gaming, its priorities and the regulated framework and targeted trainings that correspond to each department’s needs. 

More...…
Photos Videos

Benefits for Οrganization

OPAP received the “Level 4” Certification of the World Lottery Association (WLA) for our commitment to protecting consumers and ensuring a safe environment for our players. This is the highest global certification for Responsible Gaming. These distinctions reflect Hellenic Lotteries’ tangible commitment to Responsible Gaming principles, acknowledging our comprehensive strategy in this area, which focuses on creating a safe environment for our customers, protecting minors, implementing best practices, and educating the wider public, among other things.

Furthermore, the innovative initiatives of OPAP, Safety Net Algorithm and Online Customer Support Robot were distinguished in the top European rewarding institution “European Lotteries Innovation Awards 2022”.




Connection with Global Goals







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