GVC Holdings will become the first official partner of PlayPause, a new multi-state responsible gambling tool which will operate across state lines in the United States, with the feature due to launch with BetMGM.
The new partnership will form part of GVC’s Sustainability Charter, which was unveiled earlier this month.
Shay Segev, CEO of GVC, commented: “We are delighted to be the first official partner of PlayPause. We believe the most responsible operator will be the most successful operator, and PlayPause’s innovative, multi-state approach to responsible gaming in the US aligns with our firm commitment to providing our customers with the safest and most enjoyable experience possible.”
Through its Sustainability Charter, GVC will donate $132m over the next five years to support communities and raise standards in responsible gaming around the world.
The PlayPause tool, which will be made available via Conscious Gaming, a non-profit organization created by GeoComply, has been designed to ‘modernize and strengthen the effectiveness of the US gaming industry’s responsible gaming program’.
Adam Greenblatt, CEO of BetMGM, added: “A multi-state approach to responsible gaming is an important step for the industry and advances consumer protection in a meaningful way. We’re delighted to play a leading role in collaborating on this important and timely initiative.”
PlayPause’s features include:
- Offering players self-exclusion protection as they move from state to state, rather than being limited to the state in which they are typically based.
- Adding to existing work with operators by GVC to strengthen their responsible gaming programs and make decisions based on hard data. This gives more significant insights into players who have already self-excluded in one state but need to be recognized and protected to play in another jurisdiction.
- Reducing the administrative burden and eliminating the silos associated with maintaining numerous separate state-operated self-exclusion databases.
GVC has already made substantial headway in promoting safer gambling habits across the US, having already launched a multi-year research program into addictive behaviors with Harvard, and a collaboration with EPIC.
Anna Sainsbury, Conscious Gaming Trustee, and GeoComply Chairman and Co-Founder, concluded: “Conscious Gaming is thrilled to be partnering with GVC and BetMGM to launch PlayPause. To have such a high profile, responsible, and fast-growing operator on board from the start is a fantastic endorsement for the PlayPause initiative.
“As an industry, it’s only by working together with all stakeholders that we’ll be able to ensure players have the necessary tools to foster responsible play.”
