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Gaming company reveals players' profits and losses in groundbreaking move

In the private world of bookmaking, few if any betting and gaming operators would be willing to publish their players' wins and losses, but that could be about to change.

With a responsible gambling remit to the fore, Finnish gaming business Paf is breaking new ground in publishing its players' profits and losses.

It is also taking its social responsibilities to a new level by limiting all big players and stopping direct marketing to at-risk players.

Announcing the groundbreaking initiative, chief executive Christer Fahlstedt said: "We are probably the first gaming company in the world to show openly and transparently what our customer database looks like. These are the figures that most gaming companies want to hide because it shows that a few individuals can have an enormous impact on their operating results."

Last year Paf, founded in the Aland islands off Finland, introduced a permanent yearly limit that applies to all customers who play the company's online games. Paf claims to be the only international gaming company to introduce such a ‘loss limit’.

The annual maximum yearly limit of €30,000 has been gradually rolled out since September 2018 and has altered its player base. The loss of high rollers has cost Paf €4 million a year but the number of active customers has grown by 24 per cent over the past 12 months.

Fahlstedt said: “The figures show that the ‘loss limit’ and our tougher measures in gambling responsibility mean that we have lost over €4m in revenue annually from our big players. It is a lot of money. But it is unsustainable money that we no longer receive and which the whole gaming industry should say no to.

“Our reduced revenues are entirely driven by a sharp reduction in the big players' losses, but at the same time we have increased the number of players who play for smaller amounts. It is something we are proud of and it shows that our actions have had a concrete effect."

"The statistics also show that almost a third of our players ended the year in profit and this is often forgotten. It reveals why so many people like to play for money."

Figures released showed the average player lost €648 in 2017 and €522 in 2018. In 2017, Paf made a profit of €29.4m on a total revenue of €116.5m.


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Published on 19 March 2019inNews

Last updated 15:32, 19 March 2019

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