Operators can now offer all players access to a network of 120+ professional counsellors in real time via video call

Residential gambling addiction centre Leon House has launched AnonyMind, the UK’s first CQC and RET registered online gambling treatment platform.

A Gambling Commission report in December 2019 found that 1.5% of people aged 16+ in England are classified as problem gamblers whilst in a YouGov survey commissioned by charity GambleAware, it was estimated that up to 2.7% of adults in Great Britain – nearly 1.4 million people – had a gambling problem.

Despite significant efforts by operators to mitigate the risk to players, treatment and residential care are not always readily available or practical solutions.

AnonyMind has been created in collaboration with Cognacity, a Harley Street specialist provider of mental health and addiction treatment and EPIC Risk Management, the leading independent gambling harm minimisation consultancy.

Providing a full, impartial and anonymous psychiatric assessment identifying any potential comorbid issues prior to starting treatment, the AnonyMind digital platform provides national and international scalability, with over 120+ trained consultants working collaboratively within an expanding network of psychiatrists and psychologists .

For gamblers requiring further treatment beyond AnonyMind’s online service, Leon House is a purpose built residential clinic that can facilitate up to 40 clients per week and offers innovative ‘short burst’ treatment designed around the individual’s lifestyle and personal commitments – leading to a significant increase in completion rates (currently at 100%).

Every individual who reaches out will receive a personalised treatment pathway, delivered either in-house, as an outpatient or through AnonyMind’s secure digital platform.

Leon House and AnonyMind professionals can also host mental health and resilience workshops for in-house player protection and marketing teams.

Carolyn Harris MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Related Harm, said: –
“The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the startling levels of problem gambling that exist across our communities. It’s vital that people who are stuck in this vicious cycle are able to access support when they need it. AnonyMind’s new 24-hour service allows users to get confidential, secure support whenever they might need it. I would encourage anybody who is struggling with gambling addiction to take a look at this platform and reach out for support if they need it.”

Chris Metcalf, COO at Leon House, said: –
“The recent £100 million pledge to Gamble Aware from five BGC member operators shows that there is a real commitment from the UK gaming industry to help and support problem gamblers. Now, with the launch of AnonyMind by Leon House, these same operators will be able to offer free, anonymous, 24/7 professional counselling to their players via video calls for the first time ever and residential treatment at Leon House should it be required. We’re looking forward to working with more UK operators as we go through the year”.

The Lega Serie A assembly has approved Interregional Sports Group’s (ISG) virtual graphics solution for stadiums that are crowd free as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

The decision follows a testing programme, in a bid to identify the best solution for providing virtual graphics in the empty seating areas in stadiums across Italy.

Following the process, ISG, along with their local production partners, Netco Sports Italy, were appointed providers for all Championship games until the end of the 2019/20 season.

‘Lega Serie A are a world leader and innovator in virtual media in live broadcast’ explains Simon Burgess, Joint CEO and co-founder of ISG. ‘We have been working with Lega for many years and are extremely proud to continue to invest in and support new virtual media solutions in these challenging times,’ he added.

Burgess believes the key to the project’s success lies in a combination of high-quality branding that is delivered sparingly so as not to compromise the viewing experience for the fans.

‘Our prime objectives are maximising ROI for brands and delivering optimum revenue impact for rights holders, while never compromising the enjoyment of the live event for the viewing audience,’ he explained.

ISG has deployed virtual centre pitch logos of club partners, pre kick-off, at half time and prior to the second half kick-off. Now empty stands at all Serie A matches will be filled with graphics and colours of the competing teams, but at selected times only.

‘This approach provides interesting graphic enhancement but is not overexposed nor does it impact on the enjoyment of the live action of the match it appears in,’ said Burgess.

‘We have been working more and more directly with Serie A clubs, using our expertise to find other ways in which we can help them increase their revenues and make best use of their stadium infrastructure to create new virtual media spaces and platforms, whilst balancing those key criteria,’ he added.

‘Our senior team has been deploying and commercialising virtual media for almost a decade, working with all types of technologies and solutions and ISG has grown rapidly over the last six years. We are now entering a new paradigm in live sports broadcasting that presents huge opportunities to all stakeholders. However, it is a very complex process with many moving parts, liable to risks as well as rewards. ISG partners with rights holders, broadcasters and brands to realise those collective ambitions to a world class standard,’ said Burgess.

ISG and Netco have a long-standing relationship, with Netco producing all Serie A broadcast graphics and supporting ISG on their International Presenting Sponsor package. This incorporates regional sponsorship packages, producing virtual goal mats and, working with Netco, customised match graphics to four intercontinental broadcast regions outside of Italy. ISG also produces virtual goal mats for Coca Cola, Lega’s title sponsor of the Coppa Italia Final and TIM, the domestic title Sponsor of the Serie A Championship.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed the law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Gambling.” Bookmakers will be moved to Kapshagay and Schuchinsk gambling zones.

Earlier it was reported that the government of Kazakhstan wanted to create three new game zones in the country, however, deputies of the Parliament abandoned this idea and excluded this rule from the draft law. Now all bookmakers will be moved to the two existing gaming zones – Kapshagay and Schuchinsk.

In order to have information about the players, they will create a unified betting centre in the country and the player’s relatives will be able to limit the right to place bets appealing to court. All bets received by the bookmaker in cash or through electronic payment systems should be accounted in a single monitoring centre.

A single accounting of all payments received by the bookmakers will eliminate the shadow turnover, increase tax collection and simplify control. A database of players will contribute to the introduction of universal declaration, the introduction of a procedure for limiting and self-restricting a client from betting and will also strengthen measures to fight money laundering related to crime and the financing of terrorism.