Entain partners with Counter-Strike Professional Players Association, others to extend responsible gambling initiatives to esports and gaming

Global sports betting and gaming entertainment provider Entain is expanding its initiatives for promoting responsible gambling, sports integrity, and corporate compliance into multiple new areas, including esports and gaming.

As part of this expansion, the non-profit Entain Foundation, which launched last year, is partnering with four specialist organizations that will help provide mental health support services and education for potentially at-risk players. Three of these organizations—the Counter-Strike Professional Players Association (CSPPA), Kindbridge, and Rise Above the Disorder—are new partners, while Entain is also expanding its pre-existing partnership with EPIC Risk Management.

“We are committed to supporting initiatives that encourage responsible gambling and gaming in every way we can,” said Martin Lycka, an Entain executive. “The vast majority of people enjoy playing for fun have no problems whatsoever, and we want to leverage our capabilities to offer them additional experiences whilst keeping all our customers safe. These new partnerships are initial steps in this and other new directions as we both expand our offer to customers and the protections we put in place to protect the very small number who may be at risk.”  

The organizations Entain has partnered with range in their focuses. The CSPPA, for example, is the global representative association for professional CS:GO players. EPIC Risk Management, on the other hand, is an international consultancy specializing in prevention of gambling-related harm.

Rise Above the Disorder is a non-profit organization based in the U.S. that’s dedicated to helping people suffering from disorders connected to gaming. Kindbridge is the world’s first teletherapy company focused specifically on the successful treatment of gamblers and gamers struggling with their mental health.

Enatin is increasing its efforts to support player safety and protection. It aims to use the Entain Foundation to flesh out and use “a mix of education and support projects, as well as research and data analysis” to create a higher standard of online player protection. These efforts include further use of Entain’s recently unveiled Advanced Responsibility and Care (ARC) initiative, which uses data science, behavioral analysis, and technology to develop protective and preventative measures that work in real-time.

You can learn more about Entain and the Entain Foundation’s player protection initiatives on the company’s official website.