Underdog Fantasy’s responsible gaming fund GuardDog has selected its next recipient of funds. The Game Safety Institute will utilize GuardDog investment in order to build and develop smart platforms that assess risk and educate players on RG best practices.
Game Safety Institute second group to receive GuardDog funds
“The majority of investment and innovation in RG over the past 15 years has been centered on solutions focused on the player. As these initiatives start to mature, we anticipate increased regulatory and industry focus on product safety. A recent survey of major global operators showed that almost all understood the importance of product safety, however only a third are satisfied with their current approach to understanding product risk,” said Sarah Ramanauskas, co-founder of GSI.
Founded late last year, The Game Safety Institute combines Ramanauskas’s experience in compliance at organizations like William Hill and Betfair with the tech experience of her co-founder Simo Dragicevic, who founded BetBuddy and was the Managing Director for Playtech.
“New RG solutions are complex to develop and deploy. They require wide stakeholder engagement, R&D funding, and time. GuardDog is therefore a critical initiative as it supports the most innovative new RG ideas with not only capital, but access to a range of industry expertise. We are delighted to be partnering with Underdog,” added Dragicevic.
GuardDog offers both funding and mentorship for RG-focused companies
“Our clear aim with GuardDog is to support and help scale innovation in responsible gaming, and the Game Safety Institute is precisely the type of partner we look for – imaginative, with a commitment to rigorous testing and research to develop real, actionable solutions to enhance player safety across a wide range of products,” said Vice President of Responsible Gaming at Underdog Adam Warrington. “We look at RG a little differently: not as a challenge, but as an opportunity necessitating fresh, creative ideas to create a stronger and more responsible ecosystem for operators and players.”
The gaming company established the $1 million fund in October 2023. The group announced its first investment into idPair back in March.
In addition to funding, GuardDog also provides its partner companies with both mentorship and consultation with Warrington and the following experts in the field:
- Chris Grove, partner at Acies Investments
- Dan Hartman, former director of the Colorado Division of Gaming
- Sara Tait, former executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission
Brianne Doura-Schawol, founder and CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting
