BetBlocker, the UK-facing responsible gambling app funded and developed by alternative dispute mediation service ThePOGG.com, has secured its first corporate donation from online casino comparison website CasinoGuide.
Though BetBlocker did not state how much the donation was worth, it did say that the funding will permit CasinoGuide to display the BetBlocker gold tier donation seal on its sites. This seal links to a verification page on the BetBlocker website.
BetBlocker said it will use the donation to upgrade certain functionality on its mobile iOS app in order to make the restriction more robust and harder to bypass.
The BetBlocker app enables users to self-exclude from gambling by blocking access to more than 6,700 participating igaming websites. Once a user has activated the block, they are unable to reverse this until the exclusion period has ended.
“What makes CasinoGuide’s actions even more special is the nature of their business,” BetBlocker charity trustee and manager, Duncan Garvie, said. “Unlike UK licensed operators who have a licence-based obligation to make a contribution to a relevant responsible gambling-based charity on an annual basis, CasinoGuide are an affiliate site and are subject to no obligations to make any donation whatsoever.
“We had fully anticipated that operators would become enthusiastic partners as the project developed and the industry became more aware of the tool we are offering, but I’m personally bowled over that it has been an affiliate to step forward first.
“The lack of any requirement or expectation to make such a donation differentiates their actions and defines this action as truly charitable.”
Alex Tester, project manager of CasinoGuide, added: “At CasinoGuide, we believe that the service we provide carries an inherent responsibility to promote responsible gambling behaviour.
“We are therefore delighted to be the first corporate donor for BetBlocker, thereby assisting in the further development of an extremely valuable tool available across several platforms free of charge.”
The donation comes after BetBlocker in November last year was approved as a charity in the UK.
