The Professional Footballers’ Association of Northern Ireland (PFA NI) has entered a strategic partnership with a responsible gambling advocate and one of the top blocking software tools in the industry, Gamban.
Through this collaboration, the PFA NI seeks to battle gambling-related harm in Northern Ireland, consequently enabling the members of the association full access to the state-of-the-art safer play tools of Gamban and raising awareness of responsible gambling.
The blocking tool provided by Gamban is a cutting-edge tool that allows users to block their online gambling activity, a service that ranges from blocking access to online casino websites to online gambling apps.
This means that, as of now, users from Northern Ireland can get full-blown access to this software, enabling their support of a tool specifically designed to curb gambling addiction.
Michael Carvill, Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Footballers’ Association of Northern Ireland, commented on the development and highlighted the ever-growing concern when it comes to football and betting:
As the representative body for professional footballers in Northern Ireland, we are committed to supporting our members both on and off the pitch. Gambling addiction is a growing concern within football, and this partnership with Gamban is a significant step in providing practical help to those who need it.
On the same note, Melissa Etherington, Partnerships Executive at Gamban, echoed Carvill’s sentiment and said that the provider is “delighted” to partner with the PFA NI and help raise awareness to at-risk players:
Gambling addiction is a growing issue in football, which impacts mental health, finances and a player’s performance on the pitch. It also has the potential to impact sports integrity. We are delighted to partner with PFA NI to raise awareness of Gamban among those most at risk from harm related to online gambling.
Northern Ireland has officially revised and updated its dated gambling regulations, a move that was inspired by the country’s goal to align its gambling laws closer to the regulations imposed by the United Kingdom and, thus, tackle some of the most pressing issues related to gambling addiction.
Gamban, on the other hand, has entered a similar partnership with the Dutch Gaming Authority, the Kansspelatoriteit (KSA), in a bid that will see the regulator provide a one-year pilot funding to the services of the provider within the Dutch market.
