BOSTON and EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) and BetBlocker, a leading responsible gaming and safer play not-for-profit charity, today announced their collaboration to advance awareness of, and access to, BetBlocker’s acclaimed software. In a first for the gaming industry globally, consumers using BetBlocker are able to set restrictions on their gaming activities across all of their devices at no cost to them, and these restrictions will apply across thousands of gaming sites, whether regulated or not, anywhere in the world.
“BetBlocker’s contributions to safer play are commendable and DraftKings is pleased to team up with this enterprising and disruptive not-for-profit that is advancing responsible gaming in a comprehensive and consumer friendly way,” said Chrissy Thurmond, Senior Director of Responsible Gaming, DraftKings. “We share BetBlocker’s vision that technology and innovation are critical to promoting safer play, and we extend a warm welcome to BetBlocker as they build their footprint in North America, following widespread success across the pond.”
Developed in the U.K., BetBlocker is the first and only no-cost tool that enables individuals to set restrictions on their play on all of their personal devices. BetBlocker is free and encompasses the thousands of gaming sites that exist, including unlicensed operators, across all regions. BetBlocker technology allows users to download the software anonymously without having any of their personal data stored. Consumers are empowered to use BetBlocker to manage how long or in what capacity they choose to play, including choosing a range of restriction lengths (1-5 days, 1-3 weeks, 1-6 months, 1-5 years) or using the calendar blocking functionality (e.g. blocking Saturdays, Sundays every week).
“BetBlocker is thrilled to have the support of sports betting and gaming industry giant, DraftKings, to extend our software outside of the U.K. and Europe, to players in the United State and Canada,” said Pedro Romero, Chief of Safer Gambling Partnerships, BetBlocker. “We’ve been impressed with DraftKings’ leadership in responsible gaming and we are grateful for their collaboration and financial support as we look to expand awareness of safer play technology. We encourage other operators to follow DraftKings’ example of going above and beyond what is required region by region, to ensure all players have the knowledge and tools to bet responsibly.”
Through the DraftKings S.E.R.V.E.S. corporate social responsibility program, standing for Service, Equity, Responsible Gaming, Vitality, Entrepreneurship, and Sports, DraftKings’ responsible gaming focus is to foster safer play through technology, staff training, education and resources for consumers, collaboration with not-for-profits like BetBlocker and other external stakeholders, and through the support of evidence-based research. DraftKings incorporates responsible gaming into its brand and marketing strategy, working to educate customers across a broad range of consumer touchpoints including its digital social media channels and retail sportsbooks. Additionally, DraftKings is proud to be the first U.S. gaming operator to offer financial support to all of the U.S. state councils and affiliates of the National Council on Problem Gambling through its State Council Funding Program.
To learn more about DraftKings’ commitment to responsible gaming, please visit its Responsible Gaming page. For more information about BetBlocker, please visit https://betblocker.org/.
About BetBlocker
BetBlocker, a charity registered in Scotland and governed by the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 with oversight provided by the Scottish Charity Register (OSCR), is a not-for-profit that provides the only free (to everyone) gambling blocking software and multi-site and multi-jurisdiction responsible gaming mechanisms for consumers. At no cost, the game-changing software empowers users to play responsibly, allowing them to take steps to manage their access to gaming across all devices and platforms. BetBlocker is available all over the world and captures both regulated and unregulated gaming sites and apps.
About DraftKings
DraftKings Inc. is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirit of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for operators in 17 countries. The company operates iGaming in 5 states through its DraftKings brand, as well as operating Golden Nugget Online Gaming, an award-winning iGaming product and iconic gaming brand, in 3 states. DraftKings’ Sportsbook is live with mobile and/or retail betting operations in the United States pursuant to regulations in 18 states and in Ontario, Canada. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 6 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is both an official daily fantasy and sports betting partner of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA TOUR and UFC as well as an official daily fantasy partner of NASCAR. Launched in August 2021, DraftKings Marketplace is a digital collectibles ecosystem designed for mainstream accessibility that offers curated NFT drops and supports secondary-market transactions. DraftKings also owns Vegas Sports Information Network (VSiN), a multi-platform broadcast and content company.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this press release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside DraftKings’ control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see DraftKings’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. DraftKings does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Media Contacts
media@draftkings.com
Pedro Romero
pedro@betblocker.org
