Dr Mark Griffiths to support Allwyn’s UK National Lottery licence bid

SAZKA Group's UK division Allwyn has brought in Dr Mark Griffiths as the latest appointment to its advisory board.

As part of the company’s bid for the next UK National Lottery licence, Dr Griffiths will work closely with Sir Keith Mills to advise on player protection safeguards, while developing close relationships with other researchers studying the fight against gambling addiction.

One of the leading experts in his field, Dr Griffiths is a psychologist and distinguished Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University.

Outside of academia, he has advised governments on gambling addiction and mental health, with his pioneering research expected to bolster Allwyn’s data-driven approach to player protection.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr Griffiths said: “I embrace advisory roles because I believe it’s the most effective way to improve swift intervention by forging closer collaboration between operators, charities, campaigners and experts.

“I’m partnering with Allwyn because their sister companies have proven to be industry leaders on player protection across Europe, while their early backing of raising The National Lottery’s age limit demonstrated their serious engagement with the UK regulatory environment.”

Allwyn bid chair Sir Keith Mills said: “Dr. Mark Griffiths is one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of gambling addiction and player protection, and his insight will be invaluable to our bid. We both believe that lotteries should be the benchmark for how best to protect players in today’s digital world, and that this can be achieved by using technology to facilitate the sharing of better information.

“Player protection sits at the heart of our parent company’s lottery operations across Europe, where they have experience of developing tailored solutions for especially vulnerable social groups. By appointing Dr Griffiths to our advisory board, we will continue to set the standard on player protection in the industry, and I look forward to working with him and the rest of our fantastic team to present a plan that makes the National Lottery both exciting and safe for all its players.”