Playtech pledges £5m for five-year mental health strategy
London-listed supplier partners with leading UK wellbeing charities as coronavirus closes Snaitech retail business
Playtech has pledged a total of £5m to mental health and gambling-related harm charities over the next five years as part of a new wide-ranging strategy to promote better online health.
Playtech has said the overarching aim of the pledge is to promote and enable positive mental health, healthy online behaviours and digital resilience. The strategy focuses on five main areas; research, education, treatment, digital solutions and training, while also aligning with the UKGC’s national strategy for the reduction of gambling-related harm.
Partners working with Playtech on these initiatives include charities Betknowmore, Mind BWW, YGAM and national gambling-related harm charity GamCare.
In the case of GamCare, Playtech backed the launch of a project aiming to develop a best practice framework for the identification and support of players experiencing financial difficulty due to gambling. The initiative went live in November.
At an education level, the strategy aims to promote healthy online behaviour, reduce stigma and empower individuals with mental health issues to seek support.
Speaking to EGR, Playtech CEO Mor Weizer said: “This is an issue which is very close to my heart, as technology leaders in our industry, we have a duty to use our expertise, experience and technology to help build a sustainable industry for the benefit of all stakeholders.
“The impact of the digital world on mental health and also its relationship with the gambling sector is currently not well understood in my opinion.
“We will be contributing expertise, research and financial support in five areas to increase the understanding and promote digital resilience and safer gambling behaviours included as part of healthy online living,” Weizer added.
As part of its work with Mind BWW and BetKnowMore, a mental health professional has been seconded to Playtech from Mind, with the aim of training and increasing employee engagement on mental health and digital resilience.
The London-listed supplier has said that it may look to increase the amount pledged from the initial £5m should further projects become available.
The pledge runs independent to the £10m funding programme revealed at the launch of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), as part of the five safer gambling pledges launched by some of the UK’s biggest operators last year.
As part of the BGC’s pledge, Playtech signed up to the funding commitment until 2023 alongside other key industry stakeholders.
Elsewhere Playtech confirmed the closure of its Italy-based Snaitech retail operation following the Italian government’s decision to place Italy on lockdown due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Weizer said “This is a necessary step that needs to be taken. It’s a public health emergency and we must act as an employer to safeguard the welfare of our employees and the public.”
“We’ve always felt that our online offering could serve to mitigate some of the impact that these sorts of closures might have on the wider business. Particularly now that many of the Serie A games have been postponed or ordered to be played behind closed doors.
“Two of our biggest markets are Italy and China, both of which have been adversely affected by this crisis, however the measures taken by the Chinese government seem to be reducing the effect,” he added.
The Italian lockdown decree will remain in force until 3 April at least.