Entain share of revenue from regulated markets rises above 99%

The statistic was reported in Entain’s environment, social and governance (ESG) report and follows Entain’s pledge to only operate in regulated markets by 2023. This came as the business increased the number of regulated markets in which it did business from 27 to 31, while at the same time it exited three markets in which it “did not see a pathway to sustainable regulation”. These market entries included Latvia, Lithuania and Portugal, while exits included withdrawing from the Netherlands as its online gambling market opened in October.

After the year ended, the business exited seven more markets where it also did “not believe there were realistic prospects of regulation”.

“Operating only in domestically regulated markets allows us to deliver higher quality of earnings and ensure we can continue to grow into the future,” Entain said. “In these markets, we can engage openly and proactively with regulators to ensure we can offer first class player protection through our cutting-edge technology and product platform, while upholding all licensing objectives, across multiple jurisdictions. It is the group’s aim that by the end of 2023 we will only generate revenues from countries where we hold a domestic licence.”

The business also revealed certain statistics related to responsible gambling with its brands. The number of customer interactions related to problem gambling made by the operator skyrocketed in 2022, by 63.2% to 2.3 million.

The amount of players who self-excluded from Entain brands came to 61,644, which was slightly more than in 2020 but was less than half of 2019’s total.

Meanwhile, the number of customer complaints decreased from 6,378 to 4,045.

During the year the business also announced the rollout of its Advanced Responsibility and Care (ARC) customer protection strategy, which uses a number of AI tools to help recognise and limit gambling-related harm.

Entain chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen said that ESG had become “fully embedded” in the operator’s business.

“Over the past year we have continued to make great progress on all areas of ESG, which is fully embedded throughout all of our operations,” she said. “We are committed to providing the safest possible betting and gaming platform, taking a leading role in supporting the communities in which we operate, reducing our environmental impact and in doing so, making Entain the best place to work for all of our people. 

“By delivering on this ambition, we will create long-term, sustainable growth for all of our stakeholders.”