Author: Lauren McCann, Junior Content Manager

In the US, March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). It’s led by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) which aims to raise awareness and provide resources to help prevent and treat problem gambling. As more states in the US legalize online gambling, it’s more important than ever to educate and train individuals on responsible gambling practices.

This is where our collaboration with UNLV’s International Gaming Institute (IGI) comes in. Our online ElevateRG training program brings IGI’s world-renowned responsible gaming (RG) training to gaming industry staff and learners worldwide. The program is designed to prepare staff and equip learners with both broad knowledge and practical experience to tackle real-life situations that may arise over the course of their day-to-day working practices.

What sets ElevateRG apart is its operational focus. It doesn’t just provide a brief overview of the risks of problem gambling. Instead, it demonstrates practical actions that gaming staff can take within their roles to proactively promote responsible gambling and minimize gambling-related harm.

ElevateRG is available via our Learning Management System (LMS) and includes numerous courses designed to cover responsible gambling across all levels, from a comprehensive introduction for front-line staff to managers and leadership versions. Our introductory course is now available, and we plan to release the managerial courses very soon, watch this space!

With regulatory scrutiny on online operators increasing as the market grows, it will be more important than ever for operators to demonstrate a commitment to responsible gambling, provable via strong training programs with recognized certification.

By participating in PGAM and investing in responsible gambling training like ElevateRG, gaming industry staff can play a vital role in promoting responsible gambling practices and preventing problem gambling. This will benefit not only the industry itself but also the individuals and communities affected by problem gambling.

To learn more about iGaming Academy’s training courses or services, Contact Us to arrange a consultation.

iGaming Academy launches first to market jurisdiction-specific plug-in technology for Anti-Money Laundering and Responsible Gaming – the perfect solution for corporate training when holding multiple licences.

—

Here at iGaming Academy, we’ve been working hard to revolutionise the way we train the industry on Responsible Gaming (RG) and Anti Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CTF). We’ve completely redesigned and revamped our eLearning courses to be structured in a “modular” format. This approach provides a tailored approach to your training needs by allowing staff to learn the required content for multiple jurisdictions whilst minimising the amount of repeat learning material covered.

Our flexible Learning Management System (LMS) allows for training to be assigned at the individual level, enabling staff to focus on the specific jurisdictions relevant to their role, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The updated courses cover jurisdiction-specific content for several European markets, including Belgium, Denmark, Europe, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Italy, Malta, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK.

How does it work?

There are three layers to our new restructured modules:

1. Foundation modules:

These modules apply to staff members of all levels within the organisation, providing an overall understanding of RG and AML/CTF concepts whilst ensuring a base level of knowledge.

2. Jurisdiction-specific modules:

These modules enable staff members to train for the markets they operate in. They build on the foundation module, providing detailed regulatory information specific to the jurisdictions they work on.

3. Supplementary modules:

Clients with the ability to upload company specific training to their eLearning portal can continue building on the RG and AML/CTF training by uploading additional training material or messages they wish to deliver to their staff.

Getting “market-ready” is a critical first step for employees in iGaming. Understanding how specific products work, the relevant regulations and operational safety standards is a pre-requisite for staff in all departments. In this article we review 5 ways iGaming Academy can prepare your teams to enter the market.

—

What does it mean to be “market-ready” in iGaming? First, it means that your staff understand the principles of the iGaming industry – how online gambling works, and the different types of games and products available to customers. It means your staff have been trained for all eventualities, whether that is compliance training to fulfil regulatory requirements, or learning in more detail about the product that you are taking to market.

And training isn’t just a necessity – it can also significantly improve business outcomes. According to one LinkedIn report, 94% of employees say that they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development. Investing in your staff means getting them ready for anything that comes their way, but what does that entail in the iGaming industry?

Let’s explore 5 ways that iGaming Academy can help get your staff “market-ready”…

1. Providing an all-in-one Learning Management System

An LMS (Learning Management System) is a software program that provides organisations with the ability to manage, track, document, report, and automate educational content. With iGaming Academy, you also get dedicated account and content managers, ensuring that your needs will be met. Having content all in one place helps keep everyone on track, with all relevant policies and training courses kept together for your convenience.

2. Delivering jurisdiction-specific compliance Training

With such strict regulations and procedures dictating various jurisdictions, it’s important to have the most up-to-date information. iGaming Academy provides off-the-shelf courses as well as virtual and in person classrooms with industry leaders and subject-matter experts from a broad range of specialist disciplines, who lead online and in-person training worldwide. Our courses are regularly updated to ensure staff are always up to speed with the latest regulations.

3. Offering bespoke training covering your company’s offering

Our LMS allows for bespoke content to be added. This could be our off-the-shelf courses with some added information relating to your company, or specific content such as internal training, ranging from videos or presentations which require confirmation of attendance. This means your staff will not only be “market-ready”, but in fact primed to operate successfully within your company’s specific area.

4. Teaching core iGaming knowledge and skills

With expansion and growth comes a need to train staff, whether new or existing, on areas that might be new to them. With courses ranging from our virtual Introduction to iGaming and Online Casino Management instantly available on our LMS, our courses are perfectly placed to prepare your employees for any market.

5. Tracking employee engagement and completed assessments

Confirmation of completed assessments is a necessity for internal reporting and – crucially – regulatory audit. Our LMS uses advanced tracking and reporting features for both live and complete data, with different reports available with easy-to-understand graphics – vital for performance appraisals and proof of training when it comes to auditing.

With an LMS that hosts regularly updated off-the-shelf compliance training and bespoke content with powerful assessment reports, preparing your employees to be “market-ready” has never been easier.

—

If you’re looking to get your employees “market-ready”, find out more about our LMS or get in touch?with us today for a demo and let us show how we can aid your organisation.

The strides being taken in the evolution of attitudes towards responsible gambling within the operators and also the regulators on both sides of the Atlantic were the subject of a recent webinar.

To access the recording, please click here.

Taking part were Maris Catania, head of responsible gambling and research at Kindred, Dr Jennifer Shatley, responsible gaming lead consultant at the University of Nevada, Eric Frank, the CEO at Odds On Compliance and Cait DeBaun, VP for strategic communications and responsibility at the AGA.

All-seeing eyes: Kicking off proceedings, Catania from Kindred noted that with real objective transactional data now available for operators, it means they can “see everything”. Yet, despite having access to how people deposit and go on to play, “it is questionable whether the industry has done enough field work and it need to share more with the academics”.

• But it’s not just about “doing the research”, Catania added. “It is also up to the industry to apply their learnings in the operational environment.”
• This is, crucially, what the regulators in countries such as the UK and Sweden are also demanding.
• Catania added that treatment centres have a “unique set of skills” that can help as well as people with lived experience.
• “They can sit with your members, with your RG team and they can give advice. What is the best approach and device? That feedback is so unique and so good that can help you really improve what you’re doing.”
• A striking finding from Kindred’s work is that, when it comes to RG actions such as the setting of voluntary spend limits, players who do so, on average, stay with the site longer as customers.
• Catania also noted that self-exclusion tool and websites have a benefit across the sector.
• Self-exclusion apps such as RecoverMe, she adds, are “protecting your peers” as well as your own company. “We’re in this together. It’s not just helping the individual, but also helping the industry.”
• “How can we use lived experience, treatment centres, even regulators to better understand your customer base,” she added. “It’s one of the first things you learn.”

Translating learnings: On the theme of learnings from other jurisdictions, Shatley from UNLV was keen to stress the extent that while lessons can be learnt from the experiences in different markets, the read-across needed to be considered carefully. “You have to consider cultural differences when you’re comparing harm minimization strategies across international jurisdictions,” she noted.

• “There are a lot of factors that shape policy,” Shatley added. “So, you’ve got to look at the maturity of the market, the political environment, the culture, the perceptions of the role of government, the media, public sentiment.”
• She noted the US was a “younger market” with a very different political outlook, and this extended into the realm of gambling where public support for regulating sports-betting was high.
• DeBaun from the AGA noted, meanwhile, that in this sense, policies on aspects such as RG “need to be able to adapt to environments as that as they are”.
• She added, though, that the land-based industry in the US had historically been proactive in raising standards.
• Overall, she suggested the sector in the US would “grow and thrive” as each state and jurisdiction gets to contribute to the debate.

Same but different: But DeBaun also note the key differences between Europe and the US. “As we can judge from our experience, lots of companies who already have been successful and accredited on the European market for a while.”

• But the US is “a completely different regulatory space”. In the EU, often the regulated space is completely new but the approach is already in place from the regulator.
• Whereas in the US “we can see that the states open the rules for the industry and the industry stakeholders to regulate the market from within”.
• She said it might be called a “national best approach”. “Helping operators who have businesses across several US states to meet the requirements while keeping obviously with the specific requirements and cultural specifics of a particular state.”
• The US, she said, was “intentionally collaborative”.
• “That’s the only way that you really deliver a protective experience for consumers, because obviously, regulators have their role in upholding integrity and protecting customers and enforcing those rules.
• “But if it’s created in a vacuum and that vacuum doesn’t include advocates, academics, industry” then problems arise.

Tech transformation: Frank from Odds On Compliance noted that technology could also play a part in advancing the case for RG policies but that jurisdictions would need help with the sheer amount of player data that was now becoming available.

• “It’s very difficult for every regulatory body across 30 states at this point or 35 states in a couple of years, to stay up to date.”

Looking for eLearning and classroom training, including responsible gaming? Why not contact us today for a free demo of our LMS or view our courses.

Although many people have heard the term LMS, do they fully understand what it means? What about the impact it can have on an organisation, and its benefits for the company and its employees? We take a look at this in more detail, starting with defining the purpose of an LMS.

What is an LMS?

An LMS (Learning Management System) is a software program that provides organisations with the ability to manage, document, track, report and automate educational content. This can include eLearning courses as well as company policies and procedures.

Through an LMS, organisations are able to keep training content easily up to date whilst monitoring the employees’ progression in their learning. The employees also have guaranteed access to the online knowledge base using digital devices – irrespective of their location.

The impact of onboarding iGaming Academy’s Learning Management System:

Time & Cost Savings:

From a cost savings perspective, an LMS is a great investment. One of the main benefits for employees is that it removes any travel time associated with attending training, as they can access the training online from any location at any time. By removing travel time and costs, the expenses of the facilities and the cost of instructors is also minimised, should the organisation not have the subject matter experts in house.

Compliance:

Many industries, such as gaming, payments, or advertising, are governed by strict procedures and regulations. Companies need to ensure compliance training standardisation, which is something that can be achieved with a good LMS.

With iGaming Academy’s LMS, organisations are able to create and upload their own compliance training, or buy an off-the-shelf course from iGaming Academy’s suite of courses. All of our courses are regularly updated, ensuring staff are always up to speed with the latest information and regulations. Another positive impact of utilising the LMS in this way is that the HR or L&D team can track the completion rates of the assigned courses via reports. This is also results in data that is presentable at audit as proof of compliance.

Training Accessibility:

Having an LMS that lets you store all content in one place allows staff easy access to internal training, procedures, and policies whenever and wherever they are. As iGaming Academy’s LMS is fully compatible with all devices, this provides HR or Learning and Development(L&D) teams with real time information on employee training progress.

Support:

Sometimes it can be difficult and time consuming for HR or L&D teams to manage all users and content within an LMS. This is where having a hands on LMS provider like iGaming Academy comes in. We amalgamate all the above points – cost, training accessibility, time, and compliance – and ensure you are provided with dedicated Account and Content Managers. These managers assist in the management of content uploads, training assignment, and training information to make sure employees are always well informed of new or upcoming training.

The benefits of having an LMS are vast, and the intelligent software we offer is worth investing in. As #RGEM2022 focusses this week on Advancing Responsible Gaming With Technology, Why not?get in contact?with us to set up a demo of iGaming Academy’s LMS, it’s the perfect time to join and invest in knowledge and training!