Flutter invests €100m annually to make gambling safer for UK and Irish players

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Flutter invests €100m annually to make gambling safer for UK and Irish players

Irish gambling company Flutter spends over €100m annually to make gambling safer for all UK and Irish players.

The UK and Irish gambling sector is full of top-name brands such as Betfair and Tombola. Although gamblers from these countries may know individual brands like this, you may not realise that they are all owned by the same company – Flutter Entertainment.

Recent comments from their Chief Executive Conor Grant were well received by not only gamblers in these countries but the sector in general. This was due to Grant noting that Flutter Entertainment spends over €100m each year on safer gambling in Ireland and the UK. This not only helps to make the industry in these locations a safer environment but ensures people there can gamble in a fun, responsible way at Flutter-owned operators.

€100m each year on safer gambling warmly welcomed

There is no doubt that the news around the gambling giant investing so much money per annum into safer gambling was well received in general. Dermot Heathcote from respected Irish casino comparison site irishluck.ie commented: “This commitment to providing a safe environment where Irish and UK players can gamble responsibly at operators owned by Flutter Entertainment is admirable.”

But where exactly are Flutter investing money into safer gambling each year and what measures have they taken to protect customers? The main areas include:

• Ban on credit card payments
• More investment into research, education and treatment for problem gambling
• Ban on whistle-to-whistle TV adverts
• Increase in safer gambling signposting across all marketing channels
• €500/£500 deposit limit for all UK/Irish customers under 25

Investment into safer gambling boosts brand image

As you can see, the measures and initiatives above should make a concrete difference in terms of responsible gambling in the UK and Ireland. It should also help boost the company’s own reputation within the gambling industry and help them attract more customers as a result.

It also enables them to build a sustainable business which is not founded on the misfortunes of customers and allows them to retain customers for the long-term. By acting now, the company is showing itself to be a leader in UK/Irish gambling and taking on the responsibilities that businesses in this industry need to keep gamblers safe voluntarily.

New regulation within Irish gambling sector also key

Although Flutter Entertainment has acted of its own accord in terms of safer gambling investment recently, it seems to be a smart move with the upcoming shake-up to the Irish gambling market.

As reported by the Law Society Gazette Ireland, Anne-Marie Caulfield has been appointed as CEO for the body which will oversee new regulation of the gambling market in the country. Although this new body is not expected to become active until later in 2023 the new laws it will enforce regarding Irish gambling were ratified in December.

Details are still sparse, though before the end of the year is the most conservative goal for bringing it fully into law. This will result in new legal frameworks being in place regarding gambling in Ireland, which companies active in this market will have to follow.

As Flutter Entertainment not only has their main base in Ireland but also has multiple betting shops and online gambling platforms which operate in this market, it is therefore a sensible move by them to get ahead of the game now, so they are in line with any regulation of the market which 2023 could bring.

What will the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland be able to enforce?

Although this new body is not active yet, as per Citizens Information, it has been budgeted for in 2023, and it is set to have far-ranging powers when it does. This includes:

• Licensing of all gambling operators in Ireland
• Ability to remove licenses
• Responsibility to oversee gambling advertising in the country
• Focus on consumer protection in Irish gambling
• Imposing sanctions on gambling operators who do not follow regulations

As this shows, the new authority for gambling Ireland will not only have a far-reaching remit but also real power to protect Irish customers. It is therefore essential that any operator in this market falls in line with any new guidelines – with Flutter choosing to get one step ahead of the game currently.

Safer gambling in UK and Ireland

There is no doubt that responsible gambling is a hot topic in the UK and Ireland now. It is also one issue that all reputable gambling companies in these markets take seriously. This can certainly be seen in the amount of money that Flutter Entertainment has put into safer gambling on their platforms over the last couple of years. With both the UK and Ireland fully focused on protecting people who like to gamble within their borders, it is a subject which will only become more important moving forward.

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