Senet Group chair to court digital operators
Newly appointed Wanda Goldwag to prioritise online businesses as she looks to increase self-regulatory body membership
The Senet Group’s newly appointed independent chair Wanda Goldwag said recruiting online only operators was vital for the future of the self-regulatory body and said she plans to meet with a number of operators in the coming months.
Goldwag was announced as the Group’s chair last month and has immediately set about increasing the number of members beyond its four founding operators.
Goldwag is to travel to Gibraltar in the coming months to meet with online operators based on the British Overseas Territory to try and understand why as yet only William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power have signed up.
“My internal target is having more members,” Goldwag told eGaming Review. “The members we have don’t represent the industry as a whole and don’t represent online gambling either,” Goldwag said.
She added that it was “essential” the Group had a number of online-only operators on board and dismissed accusations the Group had a land-based focus.
“If there’s a roadblock preventing them from joining then I want to know what it is and see if I can help with that,” Goldwag said.
She conceded that new members would incur some “short term pain” by having to comply with the socially responsible code of conduct and contribute financially to advertising campaigns.
“But it’s a chance to be part of something that gives them credibility and allows them to say we’re proving we can be socially responsible,” Goldwag said.
“The more the gambling industry shows it’s responsible, the less outside pressure from other regulators they will receive,” she added.
In January the Senet Group launched its first television advert to highlight problem gambling behaviours and an extensive multi-platform campaign is to follow, including print ads in national newspapers.