G4 STORY Pieter Remmers, more than 35 years of experience in the gambling and betting industry
When I started I was lucky when I got a speaking slot at the very end of a conference, nowadays we start with Responsible Gambling as the topic to be discussed. Responsible Gambling or Safer Gambling as they prefer to call it in the UK.
Pieter Remmers
But it all has to do with responsibility. In fact shared responsibility as it not only the player him or herself, but the operator is responsible as well. Regulators have recognized that and are working according these principles too.
It is not the word Responsibility that is important, it the actual acting of an individual and his/ her behavior.
There is no doubt that the gambling industry and society at large are more aware of responsible gambling and understand the necessity of protecting players. Our role is to ensure that gambling operators and suppliers operate at the highest responsible gambling standards, thus minimizing risk and maintaining a healthy player database.
We have developed the G4 Responsible Gambling Accreditation and certification program about 15 years. We have certified and helped many of the world’s leading operators and suppliers enhance their responsible gambling policies and practices. IGT, Novomatic, Gauselmann/ Merkur, Cirsa and Lottomatica are some of the names.
Our framework is based on multiple elements and many requirements; however, our role in combating problem gambling through the G4 certification can be summarized in four steps.
1- Instilling the correct Mindset and corporate culture – we work with our clients to ensure that they look at gambling and betting from the proper perspective, as a strictly fun activity and that the management and employees know that. The foundation for protecting your players lies in how your employees perceive gambling. We thus heavily focus on training and employee education, from general awareness training to more specific training on conversation techniques, responsible marketing and conflict management. We also stress that responsible gambling goes beyond regulatory requirements and support companies to go beyond regulation in ensuring the players safety
2-Management Structure – We encourage our clients to hire an RG manager. For larger organizations, we encourage them to have a separate RG department independent of the compliance department and any commercial influence. We believe change always comes from the top, so having an RG manager with a clear strategy and goals guarantees commitment to he project.
3-Player Education and Protection – Just like employee education, we believe that the operator has a role in educating players and offering all the transparent information to help them make an informed decision. We thus ensure that companies provide players with educational materials, warnings, referrals to self-exclusion and helplines, and game-specific information in clear and simple language. We also ensure that the operator offers all the necessary protective measures, such as limit setting and break-in-play features.
4-Quality management and Continuous improvement- Our accreditation process is based on the principle of Continuous improvement;. We ensure that the company has a system that allows them to collect and analyze data, identify gaps and improve on a regular basis.
Responsible Gambling
What companies need to do to get G4 certified can differ from land based to online, from operator to supplier, from casino to lottery, from gambling to betting.
The requirements depend on the nature of the business operation and country specific regulatory requirements. For example, a land-based casino would have different requirements from an arcade or an online operator. The same goes for regulation; we always consider each region’s regulatory requirements; for example, in some areas, it is illegal to register player data or ask for identification upon entering an arcade. In those situations, we ensure that our requirements do not contradict the regulatory requirements. However, there are minimum standards that a company needs to achieve to be certified:
1-At least 80% of staff must complete an Employee General awareness training designed or reviewed by experts in the field.
2-The legal age for gambling must be visible, and proper measures must be taken to prevent minors from playing.
3-The Marketing material must not in any way appeal to minors or suggest that gambling is a way of achieving financial gains or any message that shows gambling in a context other than entertainment. That includes unrealistic bonuses, using sexual images role models or suggesting that gambling is a way to build wealth and success
4-In no way should the company offer credit or encourage players to chase their losses
5- The operator should ensure that Responsible gambling messages, as well as referral to a national helpline and self-exclusion program, are visible to all players
6- The company mission statement should demonstrate the company’s commitment to responsible gambling signed by top management; a senior manager should directly oversee the progress and implementation of the strategy
G4 offers international training programs are in partnership with Assissa, the mother company of which Pieter Remmers is the founder. Ynze Remmers (son of) has taken over Pieter’s responsibilities in this.
Assissa offers the full range of training from (short) basic e-learnings to extensive face-to-face trainings that can also include roleplay with a professional actor. Also topics like ‘how to deal with customer service’ and communication skills based on motivational interviewing techniques are part of it. Trainings are delivered in a number of different langiuages. For an overview it is advised to contact info@assissa.nl
In the past 35 years Responsible Gambling and Betting and how to deal with it has become the most important issue for the gambling and betting industry. The general market trend appears promising, with an increasing number of operators and suppliers embracing responsible gambling practices after realizing the significance of having a healthy and risk-free customer base. When Companies prioritize Responsible gambling, the player will instantly feel the difference, and trust among stakeholders will increase, making the overall interactions positive.
Regardless, challenges are always present. I believe that the current pending issue is the challenge of illegal gambling websites, which is always a challenging topic and an ongoing debate. Are we pushing players to the illegal market by applying restrictive RG measures? With the tightening of regulations, this fear has been growing, and it remains a challenge that the industry needs to collectively find a solution to.
All in all G4 plays a key role in the in identifying gaps and what to do with. Our accreditation and certification project using audit checklists that are updated every year are ‘State of the Art”.
If you want to learn more about us, please send an email to; info@gx4.com or have a look at the G4 website www.gx4.com or if you want to send a personal message please use : pieter@gx4.com
