Australian operator Crown Resorts has introduced a new program to prevent gambling harm. The program is called Crown PlaySafe and will be rolled out across the operator’s properties in the country.
Crown said that this program is in line with its Future Crown transformation program and follows the earlier troubles for the company. It aims to broaden the company’s focus from identifying and supporting problem players to preventing problem gaming in the first place.
Crown PlaySafe’s approach has seen the company double down on its efforts to improve player well-being and care. The program also saw the creation of a dedicated gambling research and policy team, led by Dr Jamie Wiebe since early 2022.
Wiebe’s team will work o a new knowledge exchange hub for business and industry where safer gambling tools and practices will be discussed and evaluated. Crown’s new leadership has invested more than AUD 13 million in gambling harm prevention and support, as well as in expanding the Crown PlaySafe team.
Crown PlaySafe Is Based on Four Core Principles
Taking a look at how PlaySafe will function, Crown announced that the program is designed on maximizing player safety. To that end, the company will focus on key priority areas.
The first area is the building of a safer gambling future with a focus on prevention and safer play. This means that Crown’s new focus would be preventing harm before it has become a problem.
In addition, Crown will work on building a safer gambling culture, with care for the community. To that end, the company will team up with a variety of regulators, education providers, businesses, community-based organizations, industry specialists and the government to create a “more culturally-relevant approach” to the prevention of problem gambling.
Furthermore, Crown will be building a safer gambling environment, with expanded support for vulnerable and at-risk players. As a result, Crown will pair tech with data to identify early signs of problem gambling and take action before it is too late.
Finally, Crown will work on building a safer gambling system, to improve its understanding of player behavior. This means that the company will invest in research and data monitoring, and will test new tools, concepts and ideas in collaboration with industry experts and critics.
In addition to these four core pillars, the PlaySafe approach seeks to mitigate the stigma associated with problem gambling.
Crown Resorts Is Already Introducing New Solutions
Crown Resorts’ chief executive officer, Ciarán Carruthers, expressed his company’s desire to become a visionary in gambling harm prevention. To that end, Crown is scaling up its efforts to crack down on problem gambling.
With a focus on collaboration and engagement with government, industry and community-based partners, I am confident that together we can reduce gambling harm and create a safer gambling future for all Australians.
Ciarán Carruthers, CEO, Crown Resorts
Dr Jamie Wiebe also commented on the matter, expressing the need for further understanding of gambling problems and harm. She noted that the company is currently working on many notable safer gambling solutions.
Gambling safety features like mandatory carded-play, time and spend limits, and online self-exclusion are some of the many tools being implemented to support guests to play safely.
Dr Jamie Wiebe, group EGM RG, Crown Resorts
Wiebe concluded that the program is developed in partnership with many industry experts and is based on reliable research into the matter.
Last month, Crown back-paid several workers after a query uncovered underpayments.