Industry News
Sarah Hanratty, the Senet Group’s new CEO
Senet Group, the UK body dedicated to addressing problem gambling through consumer information programmes, announces that it has appointed Sarah Hanratty as its new chief executive from 6 August 2018. Sarah is currently deputy chief executive and director of corporate affairs at the Portman Group, the responsibility body for UK alcohol drinks producers. Sarah joined the Portman Group in 2010 as head of communications from the National Lottery Commission and previously worked at the Cabinet Office. She replaces outgoing chief executive George Kidd, who left Senet at the beginning of June 2018.
At the Portman Group, Sarah was responsible for policy, strategy and communications to promote responsible marketing and reduce alcohol misuse. The Portman Group is a not-for-profit organisation funded by eight member companies, representing every sector of UK drinks production and collectively accounting for more than half of the ÂŁ40 billion UK alcohol market.
The Senet Group was created in January 2015 in response to public concerns regarding gambling and gambling advertising. As an independent body it supports the Gambling Commissionâs work to make services safer and fairer, in particular through player messaging such as its award-winning campaign: When the Fun Stops, Stop, which is now open to the whole industry.
Gillian Wilmot, Chairman of the Senet Group, said:
âGambling is enjoyed safely by millions of people as a leisure activity each year, yet the industry faces an immense challenge to regain the publicâs trust and confidence. Sarah brings a wealth of experience in effecting change across the alcohol sector and has done much to secure its sustainability as a category which adds positively to society and our national way of life.â
Sarah Hanratty said:
âI am delighted to be joining the Senet Group, bringing my experience from the Portman Group where member companies are recognised for their responsibility leadership. I see many parallels with the Senet Group, whose partners and Board have already achieved a great deal, not least through its stand-out responsible player messaging and public commitment to improve player safety. I look forward to building on this strong foundation and the important work in the gambling sector done to date.â
Sarah has worked on a wide range of industry-led initiatives to reduce alcohol misuse and promote safe and vibrant night time economies. These include the Governmentâs Responsibility Deal and the Home Officeâs Modern Crime Strategy. She has led thought leadership and stakeholder engagement programmes to promote understanding of the UKâs drinking habits and to enable targeted policy responses.
Sarah is also a non-executive director on the board of the Royal Yachting Association, a position she has held since 2014 and was named as one of Cranfield School of Managementâs 100 Women to Watch List 2017. She began her career in local government and is a Member of the Company of Public Relations Practitioners, Women on Boards, PRCA and Chartered Institute of Public Relations (MCIPR).
The Senet Group is a UK body dedicated to addressing problem gambling through consumer messaging such as: âWhen the Fun Stops, Stopâ, and initiatives with leading operators to improve player safety.
Source: Senet Group
Industry News
MiFinity to Showcase Innovative iFrame at SiGMA 2024
MiFinity, a leading global payment services provider, is excited to announce its participation at SiGMA 2024, held in Malta from 12 to 14 November. Visitors can find MiFinity at Stand 2012, where the team will be showcasing its award winning PayAnyBank service, and the latest version of the MiFinity iFrame and demonstrating how it helps iGaming operators acquire and retain players with a seamless, flexible payment experience.
Paul Kavanagh, CEO of MiFinity, commented: âSiGMA is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our latest developments and engage directly with the iGaming community. The MiFinity iFrame is a game-changer for operators looking to streamline their payment processes and enhance the player experience. We look forward to demonstrating its capabilities and connecting with both existing and prospective partners.â
MiFinityâs Business Development and Account Management teams will be on-site to discuss the new iFrame features in-depth and highlight how MiFinity can optimise payments for iGaming operators. They will also be showcasing MiFinityâs innovative suite of payment solutions developed specifically for the iGaming sector, including MiFinity PayAnyBank â a powerful tool that enables operators to send payouts directly to playersâ bank accounts in multiple countries and currencies, enhancing the user experience with faster, more localised transactions and reduced FX fees.
The MiFinity Affiliates team will also be available to explain the benefits of MiFinityâs affiliate program, which offers some of the highest commissions in the industry and unique promotional opportunities via the MiFinity Bonus website.
Meet the MiFinity team at Stand 2012 at SiGMA 2024 to learn more about the companyâs solutions and how they are transforming the iGaming payment landscape. Pre-book a meeting with the MiFinity team or drop by the stand during the event to explore how MiFinity can support your business.
Book a meeting here > outlook.office365.com/book/[email protected]/
Industry News
Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising
The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.
Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRVâs Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.
By using influencers and terms like âfree moneyâ, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointerâs findings.
Pointerâs research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as âfast moneyâ and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.
Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.
With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.
Compliance Updates
UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024
The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.
This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britainâs high streets.
Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.
This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.
The latest operator data shows:
- online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was ÂŁ1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
- real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to ÂŁ453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
- slots GGY increased 16 percent to ÂŁ680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
- the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from ÂŁ4.20 to ÂŁ4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
- LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to ÂŁ533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.
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