Polish state-owned operator, Totalizator Sportowy, has been awarded a responsible gambling certification by industry association European Lotteries, for its network of land-based lottery sales, gaming halls, and online offerings.
The gaming halls and Poland’s only legal online casino, Total Casino, represent the operator’s newest available products, and both have now been certified as compliant with accepted responsible gambling standards, as confirmed by an independent audit.
The certification covers as many as 11 segments of the company’s activity, including sales training, marketing communication, game design and customer education.
Product certification takes place over a 3 year period and is confirmed by an independent audit. During this time, the company also undergoes a partial audit to ensure it is acting in compliance with the certification standard.
“Totalizator Sportowy has been maintaining the highest standards in its land-based network for many years,” commented Olgierd Cieślik, president of the operator’s management board.
“The launch of new verticals for the company in 2018, such as slot machine halls, online sales of Lotto games and the only legal online casino in Poland, Total Casino, meant the business had to adapt its responsible gaming controls, to meet the requirements of the legislator and to the current needs of players.”
Arjan van’t Veer, secretary general of European Lotteries, added: “Responsibility and sustainability are the core values of European Lotteries. Totalizator Sportowy, as our member, has complied with them since 2013, constantly increasing its level of commitment and striving for even better results over the years.”
“We are proud to note that the idea of responsible gaming and protecting players is part of the DNA of the members of our organization. Every day they put these values in the foreground in their activities and work.”
Figures released in June by the Polish Ministry of Finance showed a year-on-year decline in gambling revenue for the first half of 2020, however this was mitigated to some extent by the availability of online casino and Totalizator Sportowy’s network of slot salons.
Gross gaming yield (GGY) projections provided by H2 Gambling Capital revealed the total for the year to 11 June was expected to fall 9.5% from 2019’s figures. This, the Ministry pointed out, was significantly lower than the 19.6% decline projected across all European Union markets.
Last week, the operator granted a consortium fronted by existing partner International Game Technology (IGT) a contract to overhaul its retail and online lottery offerings, which will see the operator provided with a revamped central system for operating its draw-based games as well as an interactive platform and business support software to replace its current systems.
The deal replaces an existing agreement with IGT with a new contract running until December 2028, with an option for a three-year extension. Point-of-sale equipment for Lotto and Scratch retailers will be replaced gradually, and its Lotto.pl site will be overhauled to include new functionality and content.
