When Jennifer Shatley was named executive director of the newly formed Responsible Online Gaming Association, it was as if all the lines on her resume coalesced.
Shatley has been a consulting partner with the Responsible Gambling Council and a faculty contributor with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ International Center for Gambling Regulation and International Gaming Institute. She was president and CEO of Logan Avenue Consulting, working with casino operators and gambling related trade organizations, and was Caesars Entertainment’s vice president responsible gaming policies and compliance, where Shatley was part of a team that created the first technology around responsible gaming.
“I’ve spent the bulk of my career, 25 years, in the field of responsible gaming,” Shatley says. “That’s why I’m incredibly excited about the creation of ROGA and our plans to do research and the pillars of things we’re looking at.”
Shatley’s experience in research and operations mesh with ROGA’s mission to promote responsible gaming initiatives. The new organization, established by a coalition of seven online operators – BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital, and Penn Entertainment – has earmarked $20 million to fund ROGA.
While the operators are highly competitive, Shatley says ROGA members understand the importance of developing shared responsible gaming practices.
“Everyone wants the same goal,” she says. “It’s all about the well-being of the customer, it’s about the sustainability of the customer in the business. Our members understood the value of coming together collectively, to put forth best practices, to raise the standards not only for our members, but also across the industry.”
ROGA’s activities will be built around five core pillars:
- Research: ROGA will advocate for and fund independent research into gaming-related issues.
- Consumer and Industry Education and Awareness: The organization will promote both consumer and industry responsible gaming education and awareness, and encourage responsible advertising and marketing practices.
- Promoting Best Practices: ROGA will encourage and advocate for the application of evidence-based responsible gaming best practices.
- Independent Data Clearinghouse: The independent clearinghouse will be a database that facilitates information sharing, allowing a mechanism for industry-wide protection of consumers.
- Independent Certification Program: ROGA will establish an independent certification program to assess operators’ responsible gaming efforts, providing operators with an objective independent evaluation of their responsible gaming policies.
The pillars feed into ROGA’s attempt to engage and educate players about responsible gaming.
“That’s really why we’re focusing on research in this area around the creation of evidence-based best practices,” Shatley says, “and how to better engage a variety of audiences around these responsible gaming messages to try to prevent problems from occurring.”
ROGA hopes to collaborate with a variety of researchers, universities, and non-profit organizations that are studying responsible gaming. The independent data clearinghouse will be a means for operators to share information; for instance, tracking player exclusions across a variety of sites. The independent certification program will inform operators if they are adhering to the “robust” responsible gaming standards ROGA intends to codify.
There also will be outreach toward new bettors.
“I do think that there’s no question that responsible gaming is an important issue especially among that younger demographic that’s engaging in sports betting or online sports betting,” Shatley says. “And that is why one of the main goals for ROGA is to promote education and awareness, and out initial efforts will focus on this age group.”
