Kindred Group Launches in New Jersey
Sports betting technology supplier Kindred Group has said that its proprietary tech platform is now up and running in the state of New Jersey, providing the company with a “richer” set of analytics and data. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) gave the final green light for the platform’s launch earlier this year in 2023.
Kindred Group has announced that its proprietary tech platform is now up and running in the state of New Jersey, providing the company with a more comprehensive series of analytics and data. ©jatocreate/Pixabay
Kindred Promises New Platform Will Revolutionize Customer Experience in New Jersey
The highly prominent sports betting technology provider Kindred has stepped out and announced that its proprietary tech platform is now live and up and running in the US state of New Jersey, infusing the company with a much deeper and nuanced set of analytics and data.
The main regulatory body governing the state’s gambling industry, The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE), was the one who gave definitive approval for the platform’s launch earlier this year in 2023. Kindred Group in fact already maintains a presence in the New Jersey gaming market thanks to its flagship Unibet brand.
The company characterized the new platform’s New Jersey launch as a vital step in rolling out its enhanced offering across all its gambling services in the US. Kindred promised observers that the platform will greatly augment the customer experience with the help of customizable and personalized content and products. As already mentioned, the enhanced product provides Kindred with better access to more precise analytics and flexibility in its operations. More precise data and feedback will also enable the operator to foster a safer gaming environment for its consumers.
Kindred Has Already Made Several In-Roads in European and Australian Markets
Marking the occasion of Kindred’s latest platform launch in New Jersey was Kindred CEO Henrik Tjärnström, who claimed he was deeply proud and appreciative of the end result the business’s team had worked so hard to create, before promising New Jersey betting fans an unforgettable experience to come:
“However, the true winners are our customers in New Jersey who now will have access to a platform that will give them a safer and more enjoyable gambling experience.”– Henrik Tjärnström, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kindred Group,Press Release
Tjärnström continued by revealing that Kindred is on the verge of unleashing the same enhanced product in all the remaining US states it operates in, as well as move its operations in Pennsylvania, a particularly significant market, to the same new platform:
“We are now preparing to roll out the tech platform to all the states we operate in. Our aim is to migrate Pennsylvania to the Kindred platform during the second half of the year.”
The US is far from the only first market Kindred is operating its tech platform in, having already built the system into Kindred’s European and Australian brands. Just recently in April 2023, Kindred announced that it was running a review of “strategic alternatives” that said it could result in a potential sale, merger or partial sale of the business.
Kindred Received Less Quarterly Revenue from Harmful Gambling in February 2023
In other recent Kindred news, the company recently published its latest quarterly report in February 2023, in which the recorded revenue generated from harmful gambling was lower than the previous quarter.
The news comes as a boon to Kindred’s “Journey to Zero” initiative, which sees Kindred pledging to generate 0 percent revenue from harmful gambling. The amount of its total revenue from the fourth quarter of 2022 which harmful gambling had an impact on was only 3.3%.
This is a slight but still notable decrease from 3.8% in the third quarter of 2022, and still far and ahead better than statistics from 2021, when 4% of the total revenue of Q4 2021 came in from harmful gambling.
Henrik Tjarnstrom, CEO of Kindred Group, was understandably pleased with the results, especially after the slight spike in Q3 2022:
“I’m glad to see that the share of revenue from harmful gambling is once again on a downward trajectory. However, as we review the trend over these past two years, it is clear that there is still significant fluctuation and that the curve has not been as steadily declining as we hoped. While we have put in a lot of hard work, we have not seen the development needed to deliver on our 2023 ambition. Despite this we remain firmly committed to our Journey towards Zero and to do the heavy lifting needed to reach this ambition. We have known from the beginning that we would not solve this overnight and continue to acknowledge the complexity of the task. That being said, we are very happy that we set an ambitious goal, as it has served as a catalyst for our development and prompted us to pick up the pace.”
Kindred’s Head of Responsible Gambling and Research Stepped Down in January 2023
In January 2023, the head of Responsible Gaming and Research at Kindred, and champion of the operator’s Mission to Zero initiative, Maris Catania, announced her departure from the role. She has been subsequently replaced by the gaming manager for Kindred’s Player Safety program, Esther Scheepers.
Catania played an influential role in Kindred’s shift to focusing on addressing problem gambling amongst consumers, with the former Head of Responsible Gaming and Research reflecting on her long stint at the company, before reassuring onlookers that Scheepers is more than qualified to handle her new position:
“13 years ago I joined Kindred Group plc and looking back I cannot believe what a rollercoaster it has been. I have seen RG from a non existent necessary evil to an area on the top of the agenda for many (although more work is always needed on the topic). After so many years I have taken the decision to move from a full time role in Kindred to starting consultancy in the area. Of course, I will always be grateful for Kindred for all the opportunities they have given me, and I will still work with the company to continue on several projects especially research ones. I just feel that after all these years, I want to expand my knowledge to other areas and hopefully help others through RG research and RG initiatives. Having said all of this, I feel it’s been a whirlwind of emotions leaving my post as Head of RG, but knowing that Esther Scheepers will take on this role, makes me feel reassured that Kindred is in the right hands. I am super happy for her and have no doubt that she will excel in this.”– Maris Catania, Former Head of Responsible Gambling and Research, Kindred Group,LinkedIn Post
