International lottery conglomerate Allwyn has strengthened its commitment to safer gambling with the unveiling of its Player Protection Lab.
The company describes the project as a global responsible gaming initiative that targets innovation in player safety and driving novel research forward.
It is already accepting applications from responsible gaming academics and experts, who will receive grants to develop new ideas, concepts, and perspectives in the field. Applicants will be judged on three key areas: digital innovation, messaging to encourage positive play, and ideas for safety tools.
Successful candidates will be awarded based on the scope of their projects, with individual grants going up as far as €100,000 per proposal.
Nicole Garrett, Head of Responsible Gaming at Allwyn, said: “The Player Protection Lab is an exciting new avenue for Allwyn. Our responsible gaming team is seeking proposals that will encourage progress in player safety and break new ground in our industry.
“We hope that by opening the application process, we will have the opportunity to explore genuinely new ideas and draw lessons from other sectors.”
The project comes off the heels of Allwyn’s group-level responsible gaming campaign Play the Right Way launched in August, which leveraged the firm’s Formula 1 sponsorship and the risks involved in the sport to encourage player responsibility and the use of safer gambling tools.
Speaking of F1, Allwyn’s Group CEO, Robert Chvatal, recently spoke to SBC Media about the opportunities that such a high-profile deal offers in terms of safer gambling campaigns.
“It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest, impactful sports series – the World Cup and soccer, and the Olympics, do come close, but this happens every season and across the globe,” he said.
“It’s also good that the community impact will benefit from this visibility. It’s not just about cutthroat competition and innovation, it’s about reminding people that some are less fortunate and we want to celebrate the NGO and grassroots organisations. It’s about inclusion and helping others who can’t help themselves.”
The company’s partnership with F1 began earlier this year, and has already proven its ability to positively impact local communities. The Allwyn Global Community Award gave away a €100,000 grant to Dutch charity Stitching HandicapNL, announced at the Dutch Grand Prix.