Becomes First Major US Operator to Provide Broadly Available Free Access to Software that Blocks Gambling Sites from Customers Who Self-Exclude
London – March 24, 2021 – As part of its continued commitment to building the most comprehensive responsible gaming program in the industry, FanDuel Group, part of Flutter Entertainment plc, has announced an important partnership with Gamban, a technology company specializing in gambling blocking software. This next phase in FanDuel Group’s comprehensive responsible gaming initiatives will offer Gamban’s blocking software free of charge to customers who choose to self-exclude from FanDuel’s real-money gaming sites or who identify as having a gambling problem.
Under the terms of the agreement and pending regulatory approval in the United States, FanDuel customers who self-exclude will be offered a free Gamban subscription which proactively blocks users from accessing thousands of gambling sites easily on up to 15 personal devices. FanDuel’s Gamban partnership comes on the heels of FanDuel becoming the first mobile operator to make a multi-million-dollar commitment to the American Gaming Association’s “Have a Game Plan” campaign to educate consumers on how to bet responsibly and within limits.
“Educating customers about the importance of gambling responsibly and within limits is a business imperative and ethically the right thing to do,” said Carolyn Renzin, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, FanDuel Group. “We already offer a suite of tools to help customers enjoy sports betting responsibly. Offering Gamban’s software to those customers signaling they need help adds another layer of protection for our customers, our program, and to the industry.”
“This is a massive moment for the industry and one we’ve been pushing to achieve since the launch of Gamban,” said Jack Symons, founder of Gamban. “As the largest real money gaming provider in the United States, FanDuel Group is making a statement of intent and throwing down the gauntlet to operators across the industry to offer self-exclusion support for their vulnerable customers.”
FanDuel customers have a series of tools at their disposal to manage their play including setting deposit limits, wager limits, and time limits. The final “play safe” tool available to FanDuel customers is to self-exclude. Once customers self-exclude from one site, they are self-excluded from all FanDuel sites across its casino, racing, fantasy, and sportsbook products. The company follows strict exclusion process protocols and employs this policy across all products to protect those customers who are signaling they may be experiencing a problem.
Pending regulatory approval, players self-excluding from FanDuel Group real money gaming sites will now be offered a Gamban license to match their self-exclusion. The service will not only block for that customer each FanDuel Group site but all real money gaming websites including legal and offshore sportsbooks, online casinos, poker sites, social gaming sites, and esports sites from use on up to 15 devices.
Gamban also has a partnership with with FanDuel Group’s parent company, Flutter Entertainment plc, to deploy its software in Europe. FanDuel Group has extended the partnership in North America to include FanDuel, TVG, Betfair, Stardust, FOX Bet, PokerStars and Stars Casino. Upon rollout of the program, players looking to adopt self-exclusion measures will be able to do so on an opt-in basis.
Gamban works with companies such as Lloyds Banking Group, and other major players in the UK’s gambling industry, the self-exclusion scheme GAMSTOP, and the leading treatment provider GamCare, giving those experiencing harm from gambling access to their software for free. The company also struck a partnership with Norway’s government-owned national lottery and gaming operator, Norsk Tipping, to provide its software to those who self-exclude.
For further information, please contact: communications@flutter.com
About Flutter Entertainment plc:
Flutter Entertainment plc (the “Group”) is a global sports-betting and gaming company reporting as four divisions:
UK & Ireland: includes Sky Betting and Gaming, Paddy Power, Betfair and Tombola brands offering a diverse range of sportsbook, exchange, gaming and bingo services across the UK and Ireland, along with over 600 Paddy Power betting shops in the UK and Ireland.
Australia: the Sportsbet brand offers online sport betting and is the Australian market leader.
International: includes PokerStars, Adjarabet, Betfair and Junglee operating in multiple jurisdictions around the world offering a diverse range of sportsbook, exchange and gaming services.
US: includes FanDuel, TVG, Stardust, FOX Bet and PokerStars brands, offering regulated real money and free-to-play sports betting, online gaming, daily fantasy sports and online racing wagering products to customers across various states in the US.