Following its groundbreaking $5.5m multiyear research partnership with the Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, announced in January 2019, GVC is today pleased to be holding a symposium on research into safer gambling at the British Academy.

Led by faculty from the Division of Addiction of the Cambridge Health Alliance, the symposium will outline the scope and ambition of the research to an invited audience of academics, researchers and industry leaders.

The symposium will also include a panel discussion chaired by Sarah Hanratty, CEO of the Senet Group and featuring Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC Risk Management, Anna Hemmings, CEO of GamCare and Brigid Simmonds, Chair of the Betting and Gaming Council. The panel will address topics including the effectiveness of responsible gambling intervention messaging, the impact of operator’s responsible gaming tools and how the industry can better detect at-risk behaviours.

Commenting on the symposium, GVC’s CEO Kenny Alexander said: “As part of our Changing for the Bettor strategy, we at GVC are determined to advance the understanding of problem gambling so that we can more successfully intervene to minimize harm to potentially vulnerable individuals. Our partnership with Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addiction is vital to this process and we are delighted to be hosting today’s symposium to bring together so many people who share our ambition.”

Dr Debi LaPlante, Director at the Division of Addiction of the Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School added:

“It is only by taking an evidence-based approach to examining gambling that we can develop better strategies and tools to limit its potential to cause harm. The collaboration with GVC that is at the heart of today’s symposium will play a significant role in advancing our knowledge about the issue of problem gambling and is warmly welcomed.”