As Kindred Group looks to reach zero percent revenue from harmful gambling, the online gaming operator has announced it saw a spike in revenue from high-risk revenue in the last quarter.
In a press release Wednesday, Kindred reported that high-risk players accounted for 3.2% of revenue during Q3 2024, which ended on Sept. 30.
The figure is up slightly from the 3% reported in Q2, which was the lowest quarterly percentage recorded to date. At the same time, it marks a slight decrease from the 3.3% reported in the same quarter last year (Q3 2023).
“The rise in high-risk revenue presents a challenge in the third quarter, which reinforces the need for further advancements in our behavioral harm detection and automated intervention systems,” commented Esther Scheepers, head of responsible gambling at Kindred Group.
“Looking ahead, we recognize this need as well as to broaden our focus to ensure comprehensive coverage across more areas related to safer gambling. A key aspect of this future strategy is to build on the strengths, insights and knowledge gained from our proprietary detection system over the years.”
Commitment to improvement
Despite the increase, Kindred says it remains committed to reducing this figure and reports significant improvements in player behavior following responsible gambling interventions.
According to the report, 87.3% of customers detected as high risk in Q3 showed improved behavior after receiving interventions, up from 86.8% in Q2 and 87.1% in Q1. The figure also marks a year-over-year improvement from the 86.7% reported in Q3 2023.
Kindred has reported the percentage of revenue from high-risk players each quarter since Feb. 2021. The company has maintained a quarterly high-risk revenue percentage below 4% since Q1 2022, with a downward trend in yearly averages. The current year-to-date average for 2024 stands at 3.1%, with Q4 figures expected in early 2025.
| Year | Average revenue from high-risk players |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 4.3% |
| 2021 | 3.9% |
| 2022 | 3.5% |
| 2023 | 3.2% |
| 2024 (YTD) | 3.1% |
Journey to zero
Kindred previously enhanced its Player Safety - Early Detection System (PS-EDS) in 2023. In operation since 2012, the system uses data to alert the company’s responsible gambling team when a player shows signs of harmful behavior. The company then tailors its response based on the player’s risk level, ranging from automated interventions for lower-risk customers to more restrictive measures for high-risk individuals.
“The general awareness and knowledge around gambling disorder is increasing rapidly, as is the sophistication of technological support tools," added Scheepers. "...We are currently upgrading our detection system with a new improved system, which will enable us to integrate more robust compliance features and optimize our overall approach to safer gambling.”
Founded in 1997, Kindred operates several gaming brands, including Unibet, Bingo.com, and Maria Casino. The company is registered in Malta and has offices in Europe, Australia, and the U.S.
