Published
OnlineIndustry

Tom Watson teams up with Flutter for safer gambling drive

Flutter Entertainment, owner of a number of betting brands including Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet, has announced the appointment of former deputy leader of the Labour Party Tom Watson as the company’s safer gambling adviser.

TomWatsonUpdated

During his time as an MP, Watson campaigned for gambling reform in the UK. In June last year, he discussed plans to set up a new gambling ombudsman to protect consumers and described problem gambling as one of Britain’s hidden health epidemics.

Watson resigned as both Labour MP for West Bromwich East and deputy leader of the Labour Party in November 2019. Flutter said Watson’s past experience will challenge the business, driving success in its journey towards improved safer gambling practice.

Commenting on his appointment, Watson said: “I have a long-standing interest in this sector and consistently called for action to protect those that may be potentially vulnerable to harm.

“In taking on this role in Flutter, I intend to get under the bonnet of the business - and the industry more widely - to understand how best to further develop and implement industry leading responsible gambling policies.”

Meanwhile, Peter Jackson, CEO of Flutter, said: “Bringing in someone with Tom’s gambling reform background is an important part of my commitment to lead the industry’s race to the top.

“We have to work harder than ever before to find a way to continue to bring great products and brands to our customers while always having the need to protect the vulnerable clearly in mind.”

Gambling Insider has reached out to Watson for further comment on his new role.

Premium+ Connections
 
Premium

GammaStack

 
 
Premium

Imagine Live

 
Premium

1xBet Partners

 
Premium

Lynon

 
Premium

PIN-UP Partners

 
Premium

Sport Generate

 
Premium

RISK

 
Premium

Galaxsys

 
Premium

Digitain

 
Premium Connections
Consultancy

SCCG Management

Executive Profiles
VIP Play

Les Ottolenghi

Scientific Games

Keshav Pitani

Esportes Gaming Brasil

Ana Carolina Luna Maçães

Social & App

Spribe CEO exclusive: Simplicity is the foundation

Spribe CEO David Natroshvili speaks to Gambling Insider abou...

Redefining iGaming: A history of crash games

Crash games is a growing vertical that has taken gambling by...

A certain something: What makes crash games special?

Crash games. They’re simple, they’re easy to learn and,...

Smarter innovation to shape the future

Spribe CCO Giorgi Tsutskiridze discusses the past, present a...

Facing Facts: The corner of quarterly contemplation

With Q1 reports out across the industry, Gambling Insider co...

Taking Stock: A guide to key stock prices across the industry

Gambling Insider tracks prices from some of the industry’s...

15 years of Gambling Insider: From the Founders

Over the last 15 years, Gambling Insider magazine has interv...

15 years of Gambling Insider: The Awards over time

Global Gaming Awards Event Manager Mariya Savova gives us he...