Responsible Business of the Year 2024

• Interblock Gaming: In March this year, the luxury electronic table gaming developer launched its philanthropic arm, Interblock Inspires, with a team of Interblock employees participating in the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge. With the launch of Interblock Inspires, the company plans to amplify its ongoing efforts, as well as expand its reach to other organizations around the community. Interblock Inspires will comprise a series of initiatives, monetary contributions and employee volunteer efforts dedicated to several causes and organizations including Gigi’s Playhouse, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). 
• Hard Rock International: For the past 50 years, Hard Rock has been guided by four mottos: Love All-Serve All, All Is One, Save The Planet and Take Time To Be Kind. The company champions and invests in hunger relief, cancer prevention, DEI, human trafficking prevention, responsible gaming, children’s hospice care, socioeconomic conditions and inspiring people’s connection to music. This year the Hard Rock Heals Foundation granted $250,000 to 50 local charities globally. Moreover, to date HRI’s Annual Pinktober campaign has raised more than $12m for breast cancer awareness and the Social Identity Quest human trafficking prevention education program has reached 1.2 million high school students. The company’s RG program, PlayersEdge, has reached 200 million player views of education messages on healthy play habits/support resources.  
• FanDuel: FanDuel continues to advance its RG commitments by focusing on supporting customers, furthering a culture of RG and non-profit organizational partnerships. Its products support a positive and trusted customer experience, with readily accessible tools to encourage responsible play, educational materials, and trained customer support staff who engage directly with customers as RG risks are identified. FanDuel also expanded its RG Ambassador Program, welcoming soccer icon Carli Lloyd and professional golfer Tom Kim. Internally, the company continued to ramp up RG efforts through its second Play Well Day, a new RG employee recognition program and robust training efforts. It also provides annual support to the NCPG and earlier this year, announced a $1m donation and new partnership with Operation HOPE, the nation’s leading non-profit dedicated to financial literacy.  
• Eureka Casinos: All of Eureka Casinos’ properties are 100% employee owned. Employee ownership provides an environment where staff can thrive. Cared for staff results in a cared for casino, and across Eureka’s venues, this message rings true. One of Eureka’s properties, The Brook, in New Hampshire is America’s largest charity casino. Designed to give back to staff while also giving back to important causes, The Brook donates over a third of its annual revenue to local charitable causes. Since 2019, The Brook has raised over $22m for essential charities such as Annie’s Angels, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Make-A-Wish New Hampshire.
• Choctaw Casinos & Resorts: The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has a long history of giving back to local communities in order to help them create a better quality of life. The gaming and hospitality arm of Choctaw is no different. It often makes generous donations (monetary or of food / essential items). Last year, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts partnered with the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology to create a food and beverage training program at no cost to associates working within hospitality. The program offers participants the opportunity to earn an associate degree. Moreover, Choctaw Casinos’ employees can take advantage of the Employee Education Assistance Program, which provides up to $5,000 per year in financial assistance to attend an accredited college or university for associates, bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree. 
• Aristocrat Gaming: Aristocrat has a long history of giving. Last year the company donated $2m to 100+ organizations and its employees volunteered 2,500 hours to local nonprofits. In addition, Aristocrat is a leader in responsible gameplay and continues to lead with advancements and innovative technology in RG. The company launched its Know Your Max positive play campaign with dedicated advertising running alongside its marketing campaigns, including its NFL slot campaigns, encouraging players to set time and monetary limits. 
• The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians: The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians maintains Serrano values that lead the Tribe’s giving model. For more than two decades, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has made generous contributions (over $400m to date) to nonprofits and government agencies to create positive change across Indian Country, SoCal, and beyond. Recent gifts include $1m to Olive Crest to serve families in crisis, $2.2m to San Bernardino Valley College and $100,000 to Keres Children’s Learning Center to support the Cochiti Pueblo’s language revitalization program. The Tribe has also donated over $14m to causes in Las Vegas. 
• GLI: Regulators and operators worldwide rely on GLI for its responsible gaming expertise. GLI provides RG project analysis, project management, training and education, and assessment services, including GAP assessment and program analysis, program/plan development, regulatory and policy development. Through its team of subject matter experts, it helps ensure land-based, lottery, and online operations implement best practices when it comes to RG. GLI’s findings and recommendations allow stakeholders to address issues before they become big problems and significantly improve success levels for RG programs to protect vulnerable customers. 
• Caesars Entertainment: Caesars is committed to its communities, employees, suppliers and the environment through its PEOPLE PLANET PLAY framework. In 2023, Caesars became the largest multi-jurisdictional, multi-channel gaming company to offer a fully integrated universal exclusion option and enforced an enhanced 21+ gaming policy, underscoring its commitment to RG. Additionally, in 2023, the company’s total community investment (to help address local, social and environmental challenges) amounted to more than $74m. Caesars team member volunteers (HEROs) collectively contributed thousands of hours to support various initiatives. For example, team members contributed 3,000+ hours volunteering with food security organizations and 3,500 hours at fundraising or packing events, resulting in more than 42,000 school supply items donated in total to benefit young scholars across the country. 
• RG24seven Virtual Training: RG24seven Virtual Training, a BMM Innovation Group company, provides responsible, effective, and free training to global gaming employees. Its free Responsible Gaming and AML training is quickly expanding into all markets with Spanish and Portuguese subtitles added to its US-based courses earlier this year. Created for the industry, by the industry, RG24seven’s wide reach and diligent efforts have created training collaborations with renowned organizations such as the American Gaming Association and the Department of Homeland Security. This year, three new courses about product testing and compliance were also added. Developed in conjunction with BMM Testlabs, these courses explore the GAT Protocol, Forensic Investigations, and the Journey to a Submission in a test lab. 

The Responsible Business of the Year award is sponsored by Playtech.

The betting and gaming industry is evolving. Major advances in online entertainment provide more ways to engage consumers but also more competition and greater societal and regulatory scrutiny. Operators are expected to deliver an engaging, entertainment-led but also safe experience for their customers and Playtech provides the platform, content and services that enable the world’s leading betting and gaming operators to do this.  

Our business provides a full range of services covering all products and all verticals across regulated markets. The offer is underpinned by five core tenets: quality technology; variety of content; long-term partnerships; leading safer gambling technology; and our experienced people. We help brands open in new territories, drive growth in existing territories, develop new offers, and we help all partners build a safer, more responsible industry working with a wide variety of stakeholders.

David Thompson

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