ENT.GB Entain PLC

TIDMENT

RNS Number : 4271D

Entain PLC

19 October 2022

NOT FOR RELEASE BEFORE 12.00 BST 19 OCTOBER 2022

19 October 2022

Entain plc

("Entain" or the "Group")

Entain:Sustain ESG Showcase Event

ARC (TM) Safer Gaming Programme Roll-out Reaches 22 Markets

Launch of Drive for Diversity Partnership with McLaren Racing

Entain, the global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group is today holding its second annual sustainability and ESG showcase event, Entain:Sustain 2022.

Entain:Sustain announcement highlights

-- ARC(TM) Safer Gaming programme, rolled out to 22 of the Group's global markets, with the real-time model now active in nine markets

-- One million interactions proactively delivered, leading to significant reduction of risk-associated behaviours

-- Launch of Drive for Diversity, new initiative with McLaren Racing to support women in building tech-based careers

-- Publication of 2022 Social Impact Report, detailing the positive effects of the Entain support of grassroots sports and D,E&I

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Entain's CEO, commented:

"I am incredibly proud of the lead we have taken in so many areas of ESG. We are doing so because it is the right thing to do for our customers, for our communities, and for our colleagues. It is also the best way to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of our business.

Being a socially responsible company is not just important for us, it is at the heart of our purpose. ARC(TM) is proving to be a game changer in enhancing player safety, while our programmes to promote diversity and support grassroots sport are delivering meaningful change."

ARC(TM) and Safer Gaming

Entain is today publishing updated results on the performance of ARC(TM) (Advanced Responsibility and Care(TM) ), the Group's award-winning[1] safer gaming initiative. Phase one of the programme, utilising a unique predictive Protector Model, has been rolled-out to 22 of the Group's international markets, with phase two, which provides real-time interactions, now live in nine markets. ARC(TM) has now passed the milestone of one million customer interactions[2] proactively delivered to help customers manage their betting and gaming.

ARC's(TM) Protector Model encompasses 26 markers of protection, utilising data from Entain's activity-based algorithmic modelling. The accuracy of this modelling has been assessed by EPIC Risk Management, the independent harm-minimisation consultancy, to exceed 90%.

The UK has been the first market to go live with the next generation of ARC(TM) , and is now fully live and operational across all of the Group's thirteen UK-facing brands, bringing with it a suite of enhancements. These include the addition of new real-time interaction triggers, generated when the system's AI identifies increased risk factors in a player's behaviour. Criteria for these triggers include: unusual deposits; increased time spent on sites; use of multiple payments types; and declined deposits.

Analysis has shown that the proactive interactions and interventions generated by ARC(TM) have positively impacted customer risk profiles, leading to a reduction in behaviours associated with problem gambling and an increase in the adoption of account management tools, such as deposit and play-time limits.

Key performance indicators of ARC(TM) include[3]:

-- Over 1 million interactions and interventions proactively delivered for over 400,000 unique players

-- 41% of medium/high-risk customers move to low/no-risk following an intervention, with 95% remaining at de-escalated level

   --    25% more customers end their sessions within five minutes of receiving the interaction 

-- Over 90% of higher-risk customers set gambling controls following an intervention, with 43% decreasing their deposits in the following eight weeks

   --    48% of medium-risk customers set one or more gaming controls 
   --    51% of higher-risk customers reduce risk levels month-on-month following interventions 

-- Almost five times higher use of safer gambling tools for higher-risk users compared to those not at-risk, demonstrating targeted nature of ARC

-- Similarly, up to three times higher use of safer gambling tools for medium-risk customers compared to those not at risk

The success of the programme was also recognised earlier this year by GamCare, the leading safer gambling charity, who awarded the Group with their highest level Advanced Safer Gambling Standard for digital operations. Entain is now working with regulators around the world to see how the approach taken by ARC(TM) can be adopted to improve player safety.

D,E&I Initiatives

The Group is today announcing that it will be launching Drive for Diversity, a new initiative which will focus on empowering more women to enter and succeed in technology-related fields.

The programme will be delivered in collaboration with McLaren Racing. Entain and McLaren's mutual commitment to drive greater diversity in STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering and Mathematics) industries will be at the forefront, as will the focus on helping more women who are seeking to reskill or upskill to enter tech industries for the first time; are looking to re-enter the sector following a career break; and are studying STEM-based subjects at university or in further education.

The programme kicks off with an agreement to pilot a series of new initiatives and ventures over one year, launching with an inspiration event at McLaren's renowned Technology Centre in Woking. In addition, an initial tranche of ten internship places will be established, providing uncharted opportunities by providing experience at the technology centres of both partners over a six-month period.

The initiative builds on the Group's broader EnTrain programme, which is designed to increase access to education and training in technology and improve diversity. With EnTrain, Entain has set the objective to positively impact the lives of over 1,000,000 people around the world, either directly or through their families and dependents, by 2030.

Social Impact Report

To coincide with Entain:Sustain, the Group has published its 2022 Social Impact Report , providing detail on the results delivered by the Entain Foundation's investment in good causes, to which it has committed GBP100 million over five years.

Through the Foundation, Entain focuses on the key areas of: RET (research, education and treatment) of problem gambling; investment in grassroots sport; promoting diversity in and through technology; and community projects.

The Entain:Sustain event will be fully carbon neutral, with all production and travel associated with it off-set by the Group.

ENDS

Contacts

 
Investor Relations                                    investors@entaingroup.com 
 David Lloyd-Seed, Chief IR & Communications Officer 
 Davina Hobbs, Head of Investor Relations 
 Callum Sims, IR Manager 
 
 Sustainability Team                                        esg@entaingroup.com 
 Sophie Platts, Group Head of Sustainability 
Media                                                     media@entaingroup.com 
 Lisa Attenborough, Head of Corporate Communications 
 Jay Dossetter, Head of Corporate PR 
 Jodie Hitch, PR Manager 
 

About Entain plc

Entain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and 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, Neds, Sportingbet and Sports Interaction; Gaming Brands include Foxy Bingo, Gala, GiocoDigitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, Partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis.

The Group has a 50/50 joint venture, BetMGM, a leader in sports betting and iGaming in the US. Entain provides the technology and capabilities which power BetMGM as well as exclusive games and products, specially developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK, operating in over 40 regulated or regulating territories. Entain is a leader in ESG, a member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AA rated by MSCI. The Group has set a science-based target, committing to be carbon net zero by 2035 and through the Entain Foundation supports a variety of initiatives, focusing on safer gambling, grassroots sport, diversity in technology and community projects. For more information see the Group's website : www.entaingroup.com

[1] SBC Socially Responsible Operator of the Year, GamCare Advanced Safer Gambling Standard

[2] One million interactions with 400,000 unique customers

[3] Q2 2022

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy.

END

MSCFFFFSUEESEFS

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 19, 2022 07:00 ET (11:00 GMT)