going on the same path
PROMOTE POSITIVE PLAY
Victoria Reed
“ To sum us up , we ’ re about promoting positive play . That is us in a nutshell ” because I actually feel that the industry has been unfairly tarnished .”
PUSHED TO THE EDGE For some operators , player protection is an afterthought . While this is a purposeful – and corrupt – decision by some , Reed believes others have been driven to that point .
“ I think operators have been beaten around their heads for so long now that they ’ ve sort of gone , ‘ stuff that , I ’ m going to give up and put my money into commercial efforts .’ This is because they ’ ve been beaten down so much and told that they ’ re the devil ,” she explains .
If we lock away the moral compass for a moment , in its most unemotional form , problem gambling is simply bad for business .
“ That ’ s the area of the industry that I want to try and reinvigorate . The interest in that care , and try and get the industry a little bit of recognition that it ’ s not good for business to have someone with gambling harm on your books .”
GIVE AND TAKE So , what exactly does Reed want from the industry ? In a nutshell , more recognition from regulators on the multitude of safer gambling efforts happening across the sector .
“ I want the regulators to understand that there is more than one voice ,” she muses . “ I think up until now we have heard predominantly from the lived experience side of the industry . We need to understand that actually , there is a lot of really fantastic work going on to protect players . This can ensure that the gaming industry is one that is sustainable for many generations .”
While she recognises that this is slow going , Reed is seeing the bigger picture : a process wherein effective safer gambling products can be funded and implemented as quickly as possible .
“ But it ’ s slow and I want the regulators to not keep commissioning the same stuff and people over and over again without questioning and really understanding what impacts are being generated ,” she explains . “ That for me is key .”
The onus isn ’ t just on the regulators , however . Operators must be held equally accountable .
“ I want the operators to reignite that motivation they had , or turn around that demotivation ,” she says . “ And for them to get the credit where it ’ s due – that they have done some really fantastic work and they ’ ve taken up the challenge . We want to be a sustainable industry that cares about our players and we are prepared to invest heavily in it .”
What Reed wants requires the industry to stop saving face and address the issues at hand .
Ultimately , Better Change might just be the solution to that problem .
ICE LONDON 2024 • ISSUE 135 • 119