Playtech joins Ontario in responsible online gambling campaign.
The promotion of responsible gambling has long been a priority of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. The OLG is tasked with enforcing regulatory compliance among all gaming entities in the province, including land-based casinos and charitable gaming facilities, as well as the PlayOLG iGaming website.
That job has grown indubitably larger in recent years. Ontario has allocated the managerial duties across dozens of land-based casino to private companies, easing their own load, but at the same time doubling their need for intense scrutiny of those operations. Expansion of the online gaming venue also requires a deeper and more meaningful level of supervision.
That’s where the provincial regulator’s partnership with Playtech comes in. The two have been working closely together since 2014, with the London-based digital gambling games publisher supplying content and backend services for Ontario’s online gambling website. Now, their partnership is expanding to all new boundaries with the integration of Playtech’s latest and greatest software.
They call it BetBuddy, a sophisticated gambling data analytics protocol specifically designed to serve the province’s call for setting the gold-standard in live and online gambling responsibility.
Playtech to Assist in OLG’s Responsible Online Gambling Campaign
In accordance with the new contract, Playtech will provide OLG with its patented BetBuddy software system. BetBuddy is a data analytic program that seamlessly mines, scrutinizes and processes betting information. It is capable of detecting patterns that can effectively identify and manage at-risk behavior in online gamblers.
BetBuddy comes as a fully integrated feature in Playtech’s complete IMS player management system, granting OLG access to insight concerning at-risk players, and providing the necessary tools to engage in targeted interaction with those players through a set of real-time Engagement 360 tools. The system also provides custom-tailored gamification tools capable of delivering individual players with safer gambling incentives on an as-needed basis.
How Does BetBuddy Work?
Its creators describe BetBuddy as:
“...a class-leading Responsible Gambling analytics platform, built around data mining and predictive analytics. By combining the latest research into problem gambling with the power of machine learning, BetBuddy delivers an end-to-end solution for identifying and managing at-risk gambling behavioural patterns.”
Being an omni-channel platform, BetBuddy is capable of providing “segment-specific risk models to support players across retail and online play.” That’s a huge benefit to any mass-market operating in a world where the physical and digital realms are so vastly intertwined.
Playtech Proud to Promote Greater Responsibility in Ontario
Playtech Chief Operating Officer Shimon Akad is elated by the news, as was evident by his statement in a press release announcing the new deal.
“OLG is respected globally for its outstanding responsible gambling programs,” said the COO. “Our partnership, including the use of BetBuddy, will help to keep OLG at the forefront of the industry when it comes to promoting safer play.”
Akad went on to expound his company’s pride in being a part of the solution to the global effects of problem gambling. “Playtech’s position as the leading technology specialist in the gaming and betting industry means we have a unique role to play in raising the standards of safer gambling and consumer protection, in order to support a long-term successful and sustainable industry.”
