Industry News
IGT Reinforces Environmental, Social and Governance Leadership with Publication of 2022 Sustainability Report
International Game Technology PLC (IGT) announced the release of its 2022 Sustainability Report, detailing the Company’s strong commitment to global sustainability and advancement of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance under its Sustainable Play initiatives.
“This marks the 16th consecutive year that IGT has released its Sustainability Report, demonstrating the Company’s comprehensive sustainability initiatives and the positive impacts they have on our people and the planet. With a strong foundation centered around Sustainable Play and priorities aligned with UN Global Compact principles and Sustainable Development Goals, IGT continues to make considerable progress as an industry leader in global sustainability as we build a more sustainable business for the future,” Vince Sadusky, CEO of IGT, said.
Highlights of the 2022 report include IGT’s focus on four key sustainability pillars:
- Valuing and Protecting Our People: With employees based in nearly 60 countries, IGT represents a multicultural environment where individual beliefs and needs are respected and valued. The Company is committed to protecting human rights, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and preventing acts of discrimination. IGT maintains a series of policies and procedures to promote a safe, equitable and inclusive work environment.
- In 2022, IGT added its Human Rights Policy Statement to employee training, and more than 97% of IGT employees completed human rights training.
- IGT was included in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, which measures LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace.
- In 2022, IGT was the first Casino and Gaming company to become a signatory for the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), a set of principles offering guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.
- Advancing Responsibility: As a global leader in the gaming industry, IGT considers responsibility a critical part of its business. Risk mitigation features and capabilities are embedded in a system of codes, policies, guidelines and best practices to protect customers, employees, players, suppliers and the environment.
- In 2022, IGT became the first U.S. industry supplier to achieve Global Gambling Guidance Group’s (G4) responsible gaming accreditation for sports betting. IGT is now certified in responsible gaming across all product segments.
- Through the adoption of a Positive Play approach, IGT encourages positive, healthy play behaviors across all business segments.
- Supporting Our Communities: IGT encourages sustainable communities where the Company operates through corporate and employee-driven programmes that align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and facilitate opportunities for support, learning, and growth.
- In 2022, IGT developed and published its first formal Community Giving and Engagement Policy to inform and educate all relevant stakeholders about IGT’s approach to supporting its communities.
- After School Advantage, the Company’s flagship philanthropic initiative, has provided youth with access not only to technology but also science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) educational opportunities. In 2022, IGT expanded this programme to the UK through a partnership with the STEM Discovery Centre.
- Fostering Sustainable Operations: As a supplier and operator, IGT seeks to ensure that its corporate policies and the internationally recognised ESG standards apply to the entire value chain. IGT remains committed to addressing its environmental impact, implementing systems and strategies to prevent and mitigate its impact on climate change, biodiversity, and air pollution, while increasing circularity.
- In 2022, IGT submitted near-term and long-term targets to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for validation, pledging to reduce its carbon emissions and help fight climate change.
- The Company implemented decarbonisation workstreams to investigate opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that align with science based targets.
Industry News
Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising
The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.
Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRV’s Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.
By using influencers and terms like “free money”, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointer’s findings.
Pointer’s research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as “fast money” and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.
Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.
With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.
The post Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024
The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.
This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britain’s high streets.
Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.
This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.
The latest operator data shows:
- online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was £1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
- real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to £453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
- slots GGY increased 16 percent to £680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
- the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from £4.20 to £4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
- LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to £533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.
The post UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Industry News
Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director
Xace has announced that Petra Maria Poola has joined the company as Group Commercial Director.
Petra brings a wealth of experience from the iGaming industry having formerly held roles at several iGaming companies such as Yolo, Relax Gaming and SiGMA. She will lead the commercial growth of Xace and its group companies, including crypto and iGaming focused xda.io, helping to drive strategic initiatives across banking, fintech and iGaming solutions.
In her new role, she will mainly oversee the growth of the group’s sales, marketing and account management functions, ensuring a cohesive strategy that supports Xace’s ambitious expansion plans.
“I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter with Xace, and work alongside such a talented team and management. Transitioning into the fintech space, while still connected to iGaming, presents an exciting opportunity for growth and learning. I’m looking forward to applying my expertise to help Xace and its group companies achieve new heights commercially, while gaining deeper insights into the fast-evolving world of fintech,” said Petra Maria Poola.
Reuben Abel, CEO of Xace, said: “Petra’s extensive background in the iGaming sector, combined with her commercial acumen, makes her a valuable addition to the Xace team. She will play a crucial role in expanding Xace’s market presence and enhancing its suite of services tailored to the specific needs of the iGaming and fintech industries.”
The post Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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