Kindred Group launches Scandinavian-facing online casino brand following EU consumer protection audit

red Group (formerly known as Unibet Group) has recently launched a new internet casino brand targeting the small group “high rollers” in the Norwegian and Swedish market, who spend £200 or more per month.

Peter Alling, Head of Nordic Public Affairs at Kindred Group, commented upon the announcement of the news: “You will find high rollers within all national and international gambling companies. Instead of pretending as if this group of players does not exist, we have chosen to take their needs seriously, and are launching a safer gambling environment and a better reward system.

“Kindred Group has always focused on each individual customer when planning the development and growth of the company. We know our customers well and we know what they want. The High Roller concept is a result of this knowledge. Gambling habits will manifest differently for different customers, which is why we focus on each individual’s behaviour, not the sums themselves.”

Kindred Group will be the first online gambling company in the industry to introduce, among other things, third party affordability assessments of all new customers at Storspiller.com. The affordability assessment is introduced on top of mandatory ID checks, BankID registration, personal deposit and loss limits, the PS-EDS surveillance system, self-exclusion tools, and a range of other responsible gambling tools which are used to detect and inhibit problematic gambling behaviour. Players will be expected to set a spending limit upon registration, which will help to raise awareness of how much each individual player can afford to lose.

At Storspiller.com, Swedish customers have to use BankID to register. The company hopes to soon implement a similar form of resignation in Norway, even though laws prevent foreign gambling companies from using BankID. Norwegian ID checks are currently carried out through document verification.

“We are proud of our work on strengthening responsible gaming on all levels, and through the responsible gaming measures at Storspiller.com, we are setting a new standard for the industry in preventing, detecting and handling problematic gambling,” says Alling. “We believe in the freedom of each individual customer and tools focusing on each customer, instead of setting a collective limit.”

This launch follows the recent announcement that Kindred Group assets successfully passed an official review benchmarked against EU standards and best practices which focus on consumer protections and responsible gambling initiatives, meeting the requirements of the EU’s ‘Recommendation on Consumer Protection’.

Kindred were judged on core criteria such as: The communication of transparent information on the nature of gambling; The implementation of measures to prevent minors from gambling, including strict minimum age requirements; The use of responsible gaming tools to keep gambling under control and prevent problems, such as deposit limits, information, customer support and self-exclusions; And the provision of training to employees, notably on problem gambling issues.

The EU Recommendation awarded to Kindred is the first objective standard for industry best practices across the European Single Digital Market and part of the 2012 EU Action Plan on Online Gambling.

Henrik Tjärnström, CEO at Kindred Group, commented upon the announcement of the accreditation: “Kindred Group continues to raise the bar for responsible gambling and customer trust. The successful completion of this independent audit once again demonstrates that we have the right practices, technology and people in place to provide a safe and secure experience for our customers”.