GVC Supports Pre-Watershed Advertising Ban and Launches Multi-million Pound Community Programme

Jay DossetterNews

 9 October 2018

GVC Holdings PLC
(“GVC”, the “Group”)

GVC Supports Pre-Watershed Advertising Ban and Launches Multi-million Pound Community Programme

GVC, the multinational sports-betting and gaming group, is today setting out a series of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to minimise potential harm caused by problem gaming. Alongside these responsible gaming measures, the Group is announcing a multi-million-pound investment into a new community programme.

Responsible gaming initiatives
Whilst the overwhelming majority of our customers enjoy gambling safely, GVC recognises that for a small minority, gambling can have a negative impact on their lives. In order to minimise the potential for harm, GVC is outlining a four-fold approach:

  • Advertising – Three quarters of the British public think there are too many betting advertisements on television in the UK. GVC recognises these concerns and will support a move to ban gambling adverts around live football, before the 9PM watershed.
  • Research - In order to better understand the scale and causes of the problem, GVC will be announcing details on a multi-million pound research partnership with one of the world’s leading academic institutions. This project will assess the extent of internet gambling, identify the markers of harm across products and propose improvements to our own algorithms. Further details will be provided in due course.
  • Education - Educating young people on the potential dangers of gambling-related harm is also central to the policy. GVC has therefore agreed to partner with GamCare, the leading provider of support to problem gamblers, to roll out its Youth Outreach Programme, nationwide across the UK. This investment of £500,000 over the next two years will continue to raise awareness in both young people and youth professionals of the dangers associated with gambling.

  • Increased investment – To support our responsible gaming programme, GVC will double its investment in this area, committing over £4 million in 2019, twice the contribution called for by the sector’s responsible gambling organisations.

Kenny Alexander, GVC’s CEO, commented on the announcement:

“As a leader in the industry, we fully recognise the need to ensure we do everything we can to ensure an enjoyable experience for our players that minimises the potential to cause harm. The measures we have set out today demonstrate our commitment to take tangible action to understand and reduce the impact of problem gambling.”

Community Programme
Alongside these responsible gaming measures, GVC is today announcing at a Parliamentary reception attended by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a new community programme to support aspiring athletes, as well as grassroots community and health projects, over the next three years.  These include:

  • A three-year partnership with SportsAid, which will deliver funding for 50 aspiring Olympians across the UK
  • The establishment of an independent Community Fund, with £2 million of seed funding run and administered by the UK Community Foundation. This will deliver small scale grants to local good causes who promote grassroots sports and tackle men’s health issues.
  • This is in addition to the existing Ladbrokes Coral Trust, a successful pro-bono colleague volunteering scheme and funding for a number of responsible gambling charities including Gamble Aware and GamCare.

SportsAid helps the next generation of British sports stars by giving them financial support and recognition during the critical early stages of their careers. Since 1976, SportsAid has helped aspiring British sportsmen and women when it matters most - at the very start of their journey towards becoming the next generation of sporting heroes. Almost two-thirds of Team GB at London 2012 were both former and current recipients of SportsAid’s support.

In addition, the multi-million-pound Community Fund will allow GVC to support long-term, sustainable, local good causes that help tackle a range of issues, including men’s health, grassroots sport, women in sport and disability sport.  Many of the organisations who will benefit need a small injection of cash to keep their heads above water and continue to provide a much-needed service in the local community.

Kenny Alexander, GVC’s CEO, added:

“Today’s unique investment highlights the new commitment that the company will be taking to invest and support the communities we serve.  Through these partnerships we are delighted to be supporting the sporting heroes of the future as well as the local clubs where many of them have started their aspiring careers.”

Tim Lawler, CEO of SportsAid said:

“SportsAid’s primary purpose is to support talented young sports people and GVC will help us to do that. A major challenge for us though, is to raise awareness of the charity and we feel, with this long term commitment from GVC that many more people will get to know hear about SportsAid.

“It’s an important time for British sport and SportsAid is well-placed to make a positive contribution. Support such as this from GVC, along with their aim to champion women in sport and disability sport in particular, enables SportsAid to continue making a real difference to the next generation of athletes.”

ENDS

Media enquiries:

Jay Dossetter / Grainne Hurst

020 7337 0100

 

About GVC
GVC Holdings PLC is one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector.  The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports Brands include bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes and Sportingbet; Gaming Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all of its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis. GVC acquired Ladbrokes Coral Group plc on 28 March 2018 and is now the UK’s largest high street bookmaker, with over 3,500 betting shops.  The Group, incorporated in the Isle of Man, is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index and has licences in more than 20 countries, across five continents.

For more information see the Group's website: www.gvc-plc.com

About SportsAid
SportsAid is the only national charity (#1111612) of its kind – providing financial support, recognition and personal development opportunities to young British sportsmen and women aspiring to be the country's next Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and world champions.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge became the Patron of SportsAid in 2013 and has met many young talented athletes helped by the charity, as well as Olympians and Paralympians who were previous beneficiaries, at fundraising events, training days and performance workshops.

Each year, SportsAid will support over 1,000 athletes – the vast majority aged 12 to 18 – by providing a financial award to help with training and competition costs. This is often the first recognition an athlete receives from outside their support network and acts as a real motivational boost.

These athletes are the UK's brightest sporting prospects. They are nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports. Most of them receive no funding, other than that from SportsAid, which means they rely heavily on their parents for support.

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000. The awards are generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities. The latter includes challenge events such as the London Marathon and RideLondon.

SportsAid also manages the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and Backing The Best (BTB) programme on behalf of Sport England. TASS helps athletes (16-plus) balance their sporting and academic careers, while BTB supports the most financially challenged young sports stars.

About UK Community Foundation
UK Community Foundations (UKCF) is the leadership organisation for the 46 Community Foundations (CFs). CFs work with individuals, families, companies, trusts and public bodies to deliver grants to support local community projects across the UK.

Community Foundations are a national network dedicated to working locally and inspiring people to give. We help people and organisations to invest in local communities where it is most needed and where it will make most impact.

Core funding is crucial to small charities, particularly in the current challenging environment. UKCF are delighted to be working with GVC who are making this type of support available, alongside project delivery, through their community grants scheme.

From floods to fuel poverty to food banks, we support communities where they need it the most. CFs reach every postcode in the UK, and we support the very smallest charities and community groups, who often go unnoticed by many. But it’s these charities that are a lifeline for so many people and desperately need our support.

Find out more at: https://www.ukcommunityfoundations.org/