London-listed betting and gaming operator GVC Holdings has brought in Dr Mark Griffiths to advise on further enhancing its player protection technologies.
A distinguished professor of behavioural addiction and psychology at Nottingham Trent University, Dr Griffiths will join GVC later this month to audit the company’s policies and processes on responsible gaming and suggest improvements, drawing on academic and scientific experience gained over more than 30 years studying online behaviours and addiction.
His work will also be instrumental in delivering GVC’s Advanced Responsibility & Care (ARC) programme, helping the business to apply findings from the behaviours of over 160m players on GVC’s global database to develop stronger rules, measures and interventions.
He will also draw on GVC’s existing multi-million-dollar research partnership with Harvard Medical School, which is now two years into a five-year addiction study.
“We know that the most responsible operator will also be the most successful operator, which is at the heart of Entain and our new strategy,” said Shay Segev, chief executive of GVC, which is renaming to Entain. “Our investments in new technologies, and partnership with Dr Griffiths and Harvard, underpin our firm commitment to providing customers with the safest and most enjoyable player experience possible.”
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Griffiths said: “I’m delighted to be joining GVC at this time because it gives me an unprecedented opportunity to help deliver innovative technological advances supported by evidential scientific research to improve player protection.
“I plan to apply the understanding and specialist expertise built over a long career in psychology to reduce the risks of problem play.”
GVC has also announced further initiatives under its new Sustainability Charter, including a partnership in the United States with Conscious Gaming, through which GVC will become the first official partner of PlayPause, a recently launched multi-state responsible gambling tool.
PlayPause will launch with BetMGM, GVC’s US-based joint venture with MGM Resorts, early next year.
Shares in GVC Holdings plc. (LSE:GVC) were trading 1.86 per cent higher at 1,015.50 pence per share in London early Wednesday morning.