A commentator on the gambling industry has praised an e-gaming group, which has set up an office in the island, for its commitment to social responsibility and the safety of players.

Warwick Bartlett spoke out after the Gamesys Group reported gambling revenues had surged 75% over the last year.

Gamesys is one of the sponsors in this year’s Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for Excellence.

Mr Bartlett, chief executive of Castletown-based Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, said: ’Total revenue was £728m, up from £415m the previous year, which highlights the effect of people being on lock down in the UK, a market that represents 58% of total sales.

’Gamesys is a leader in social responsibility. During the pandemic their customer interactions (alerting customers about their gambling patterns to avoid addictive play) were up 77% year on year, and 32% of the player base has a Gamesys deposit limit imposed.

’Gamesys is clearly taking on board the concerns expressed by the UK Gambling Commission that operators must be more socially aware of their customers betting patterns so as to avoid problem gambling.

’The company is doing well in other markets with Asia up 78%, and the company is in talks with potential partners to enter the newly regulated North America gambling market. Gamesys is a FTSE 250 company with a market capitalisation of £1,568m.’

Famous for its bingo and online casino brands and sites, including Virgin Games, Jackpotjoy, Monopoly Casino, Heart Bingo and Vera&John, Gamesys Group is one of the UK’s leading online gaming operators and a FTSE 250 company. The company’s Isle of Man operations started in 2020 and deal primarily with customers in Asia.

Ben Wood, general manager of the Gamesys office in the island, said: ’These results are a further endorsement of our strategy and investment in the business, underlined by the opening of our office on the island last year.

’Our people have responded well to the challenges of Covid-19, helping drive a strong performance with responsible gambling at its heart.

’I look forward to working with the team to continue to develop our presence on the Isle of Man, serve our community of players - and deliver sustainable growth.’

Mr Wood was formerly head of partnerships and senior sales manager at Microgaming and has worked in the e-gaming sector for more than 10 years.

Chief executive Lee Fenton said: ’Our focus on recreational customers, our differentiated brands, proprietary technology and established market positions, have attracted record numbers of players in 2020 and we believe this foundation will allow us to continue to deliver sustainable and long-term growth in the year ahead and beyond.’

Chairman Neil Goulden said: ’We are pleased to announce another strong set of results, particularly against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has impacted so many across the world.

’All our colleagues have done an incredible job in maintaining seamless business continuity throughout the year, while also enhancing our responsible gambling approach to ensure we remain a best-in-class operator in protecting our recreational players.’