Playtech

Partnering on shared societal challenges

Playtech has an important role to play in finding solutions for the issues that most concern for our stakeholders — both in the communities where we operate and on critical issues facing our industry, such as safer gambling. Building strong and enduring partnerships is central to our approach to rising to shared societal challenges, and we’re investing in a range of relationships with experts within and beyond our sector.

 

As the leading technology company in the gambling industry, Playtech has an important role to play in finding solutions for the issues that most concern for our stakeholders — both in the communities where we operate and on critical issues facing our industry, such as safer gambling. Building strong and enduring partnerships is central to our approach to rising to shared societal challenges.

 

We are focussing on:

• Helping people live healthier online lives and adopt digital resilience and safer gambling

• Increasing employee participation in and contribution to volunteering

• Contributing to and support research, education and training to prevent, reduce and address gambling related harm.  

 

You can read about this commitment in detail in our annual report.

  • Promoting Digital Wellbeing

    Playtech recognises that the public health concerns associated with gambling related harm, particularly mental health impacts, have risen up the public agenda. In 2018 and continuing in 2019, Playtech commissioned independent research to better understand how digital technology, data and analytics can make a positive difference at the intersection of gambling, online life, and mental health. As part of this work, we are engaging with a wide range of organisations to explore opportunities for collaboration, research and interventions.

    We also outlined an intent to contribute expertise, research and an investment of £5 million in five key areas over the next five years which will be: • Offering preventative education • Supporting capability-building of frontline staff and support organisations • Building skills of frontline workers in the gambling sector and in healthcare • Catalysing innovative digital solutions • Leveraging research, data and AI to deliver insights and solutions.

  • Safer Gambling through AI

    Alongside our own technology and expertise, Playtech is also leveraging partnerships with external experts including with City, University of London’s Research Centre for Machine Learning. Through a five-year partnership, Playtech is exploring the use of AI to improve AML detection. In addition, the partnership is examining correlations between game features and proxies for harm. As part of our research, we are exploring and developing new techniques that can explain how harm models are constructed and make decisions.

  • Supporting Causes and Communities Around the World

    Playtech is committed to playing a positive role in the communities were we operate.  We support and encourage employees to use their skills, expertise and time to make a positive social impact in the communities where the Company operates.

    Playtech supports employees with a day to volunteer each year, as well as support for charitable fundraising through our matched giving programme. Many of Playtech’s key markets have established and formalised charity committees to oversee and direct local community investment activity.

    The following are a few highlights of how Playtech employees are making a difference to different charities around the world and investing in research, education and treatment programs to reduce gambling related harm.

    To find out how we are helping communities impacted by COVID click here

Case Studies

Since 2017, Snai’s iZilove Foundations has been supporting the Renato Piatti Foundation, which develops projects and provides services to people and their families who are affected by disabilities, with the aim of supporting them to build and enhance their skills. Renato Piatti Foundation manages 16 residential and rehabilitation centres, assisting a total of 500 children, adolescents, adults and elderly clients. In 2020, the iZilove Foundation supported the charity’s new “Toc-Toc” programme aimed at supporting young patients with digital tools that are critical to allow them to continue their therapies online during the pandemic.

Playtech Gibraltar is recognised as a charity leader. The office supports and donates to a wide variety of causes, including cancer relief, homelessness, the elderly, families in need and environmental working groups, helping to craft changes required for a better future.

The office is also heavily involved in promoting women in tech through the Gibraltarian government’s Women’s Mentorship Programme and the Girls in Tech initiative. During 2020, Playtech’s Gibraltar employees used their skills to develop the Live2Give app, which aims to digitise charitable giving in Gibraltar. Monetary donations can be made through the touch of a button, and the app also offers a platform for giving skills, time and energy. Georgina Morello from Playtech Gibraltar partnered with Robin Whitting from GVC to develop the app.

Commenting on the app, Georgina said: “We’ve come up with the prototype which we have presented to many charities already; all in all, everyone’s been highly supportive, including government officials. We are really looking forward to see it go live in due course.” The concept was developed as part of the 2019 Hacking for Humanity event and is scheduled to go live in 2021.

Together with The University of Cyprus, employees from Playtech’s Cyprus office created an in-patient eHealth monitoring system for Covid-19 patients for public hospitals in Cyprus. Ten developers from Playtech volunteered part work hours and part personal time, on the development and configuration of the tool. Using technology to help slow the spread of the virus, this dedicated solution for COVID-19 patients allows doctors and nurses to add patients, track their evolution and add & view all necessary details (daily monitoring, symptoms, medication, treatment, see their laboratory results.

Playtech is proud to support YGAMs’ Parent programme which aims to provide parents and carers with the knowledge and resources to safeguard their families from the harms associated with gaming and gambling. The funding provided by Playtech has enabled YGAM to develop an informative Parent Hub website that hosts an abundance of free practical tips, interactive activities and advice to help parents understand the risks and manage their child’s safety online.The digital resource includes unique insights and guidance from parents, leading academics and teachers. The programme will be further enriched during 2021 with the introduction of bespoke workshops to help parents identify signs of harm, changes in behaviour and establish healthy boundaries with gaming. contact etc.). The system went live in May 2020.

Since 2019, Playtech has partnered and participated in GamCare’s Gambling Related Financial Harm programme (GRFH). Launched in 2019, the aim of this programme is to develop a best practice framework for the identification and support of players experiencing financial difficulty due to gambling related harm. This multi‑stakeholder initiative brings together lived experience as well as representatives from the financial sector, the gambling industry, money and debt advice organisations and gambling treatment and support services to share best practices, set new standards, innovate and connect. In 2020, the initiative continued to make significant progress with GamCare convening a network of interested and supportive organisations to share knowledge, information, ideas and best practice Over 30 stakeholders from finance, gambling, money and debt sectors and gambling support services have been engaged on the project. Most notably, the programme launched a comprehensive toolkit for financial institutions, gambling businesses and debt advice agencies across the UK to help them recognise, support and refer people experiencing gambling-related financial harms, and provide consistent communications across all points of the customer journey. This is the first time representatives from these sectors have come together to address gambling related financial harms in a unified way. Playtech has committed to continue to participate and support this programme as it focuses future work including embedding best practices, generating further knowledge sharing and expand the reach of activity and engagement.

  • Young Peoples Gambling Harm Prevention Programme

    As members of the Betting and Gaming Council, Playtech are also supporting the national Young Peoples Gambling Harm Prevention Programme which is being delivered by GamCare and YGAM. The two leading charities are working in collaboration to deliver a purposeful & relevant education programme which is evidence-led & independently evaluated; training and support for young people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This £10 million programme is the largest of its kind in the UK and will run for four years from April 2020. This programme builds on successful youth outreach and education programmes delivered by GamCare and YGAM respectively over the last five-years, including working directly with young people and the professionals who care for and support them in a variety of settings such as schools, youth clubs and colleges.

  • Parent Programme

    Playtech is proud to support YGAMs’ Parent programme which aims to provide parents and carers with the knowledge and resources to safeguard their families from the harms associated with gaming and gambling. The funding provided by Playtech has enabled YGAM to develop an informative Parent Hub website which hosts an abundance of free practical tips, interactive activities and advice to help parents understand the risks and manage their child’s safety online. The digital resource includes unique insights and guidance from parents, leading academics and teachers. The programme will be further enriched during 2021 with the introduction of bespoke workshops to help parents identify signs of harm, changes in behaviour and establish healthy boundaries with gaming.