The Most Responsible Casinos & Betting Companies in the world
‘Responsible gambling’, or ‘safer gaming’ is a term that is almost impossible to miss in the gambling world. It is a comprehensive approach aimed at keeping gambling something that can be healthily enjoyed. As gambling comes with certain risks, all casino operators require a responsible gaming policy, but the application of those policies can vary from casino to casino and from country to country.
Although legislators and regulators are involved in setting the basic rules, let’s focus on responsible gambling through the eyes of the players and the casinos, before we look at which brands and operators take the extra step when it comes to taking care of their customers.
Responsible players
Responsibility starts with becoming aware of the possible consequences of what you are about to do. If you are aware of what can go wrong, you can adapt your behaviour to minimise the risk or decide not to take the risk at all.
When it comes to gambling, ‘rule number one’ is world famous. Even people who never place a bet will have heard the expression, ‘the house always wins’. Between the lines, this means you should ensure that you are always playing for the thrill and never for the money. One good way to ensure a good perspective on what you are doing is to take regular breaks and use those to literally step away from the game for a minute.
What should be your second rule, is to set limits, beforehand. Decide how often you want to allow yourself to play, and for how long. Ask yourself how much money you can afford, and are willing, to spend. And what will you do when you win? Cash out and walk away, or enjoy playing a little longer knowing that eventually you will lose it all?
Fortunately, because most people struggle to stick to their limits, every casino will provide you with a variety of options to help you do so. Different types of limits on time and money spent or lost can be set and as soon as you confirm these limits, there is no way back or around them. Only after a certain minimum amount of time, usually 72 hours or a week, can the limits that you set, be raised or removed.
Finally, you should familiarise yourself with the signs that you might like gambling more than is good for you. This information is also readily available at all casinos and should never be hard to find.
Responsible Casinos
For operators, their first responsibility lies in providing their customers with information and tools, as mentioned above. However, there is more information to be shared, because a responsible casino is a fair casino. Think of game rules, bonus conditions, etc. All this information must not only be easy to find, it should also be written in such a way that it can easily be understood by anyone.
Another responsibility that is assigned to casinos, is to find and identify individual players that are at risk of developing gambling problems and to take action when they do. Until a few years ago this was mainly done by analysing information at the account level: how much money is deposited over some time, but technology has advanced rapidly.
In today’s data-driven world, especially one that is boosted by all forms of AI, operators have almost limitless ways to analyse player behaviour. Gameplay and account information can easily be combined and continuously analysed. The information obtained this way is proving to be a powerful tool to recognize the very first signs of problematic behaviour, for example, increasing bet size, trying to win back losses, etc. This means action can be taken quickly, providing players with the ultimate protection.
However, casinos are in a difficult position; on the one hand, they want to protect their customers as best they can, but on the other hand, the more players spend, the more money they make. The information used to recognize risky behaviour could also be used to generate personal offers; every marketer knows the power of those. This ‘enhanced player experience’ is aimed at tempting players to play more or longer, which is a risk increase instead of a decrease.
Responsible companies
Taking responsibility is not only related to a company and its customers, companies also hold responsibilities to the communities they operate in. Over the years, the gambling industry has been involved in countless local initiatives, whether as the organiser, sponsor, or otherwise. Being in touch with communities is a perfect way to both give back to the community and raise awareness of the risks of unsafe and illegal gambling.
The most responsible gaming companies
So how can we come up with a list of the most responsible companies to recommend? Especially when we have to consider that some countries have rules that are a lot more strict than others.
As we have written before, the iGaming industry loves its awards, so we had a look at some of the most prestigious awards in the gambling world to see what the experts have to say on the topic of responsible gaming.
Bookmaker Awards
Winner: STS
To shamelessly start with the awards we are involved with ourselves, the (Polish) Bookmaker Award has one category related to responsible gambling. The “responsible bookmaker” award.
EGR Operator Awards
Winner: Entain
The EGR Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the industry, and although not a headline category, they do have an award for “Safer Gambling Operator”. This reward mainly looks at matters such as problem gambling support and responsible gambling safeguards, but also at operators that have campaigned for wider industry controls to ensure socially responsible gambling.
Global Gaming Awards
Winner: Betsson Group
The “Global Gaming Awards” do not have a specific award for responsible gaming as such, but the “social responsibility of the year” award incorporates both players as well as local communities when it comes to making a positive impact.
Global Regulatory Awards
Winner: Entain
Winning one of the “Global Regulatory Awards” is a guaranteed reputation boost for your company. These awards are all aimed at setting new standards when it comes to compliance and responsible gaming. Their award for “outstanding contribution to safer gambling” is the one category we have looked at.
Where to play?
As you can see, the biggest name when it comes to responsible gaming at this moment is Entain. However, Entain is not a casino, but a company that offers many different brands in many different countries. It is even the owner of STS – the leading Polish bookmaker that we mentioned first. Some other brands from Entain are Ladbrokes, Coral, Sportingbet, Bwin, and PartyPoker. Some of these brands operate only in one or a few countries, but others globally.
Although we can conclude that any Entain brand has a solid foundation when it comes to safer gambling, remember that the details might differ per country and per brand, so always properly prepare yourself before placing a bet.