Flutter Invests £1.5m in Leeds Hub for Customer Protection

(AsiaGameHub) –   Flutter Entertainment has committed an additional £1.5 million to responsible gambling and player safety, establishing a new specialised centre at a key UK headquarters.

Based at the company’s Leeds, West Yorkshire, headquarters, the ‘Centre of Excellence‘ is designed to be a hub for collaboration, learning, and innovation in responsible gambling and customer protection.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy on safer gambling tools. Flutter has a goal of having 75% of its customers use these tools by 2030. The parent company of Sky Bet, Paddy Power, and Betfair reports the current usage rate is 60%.

The new centre will be home to Flutter’s 450-member customer safety team, providing a space for them to create and trial new technological solutions in this area.

The hub’s launch coincides with the Ethical Gambling Forum being held at Flutter’s Leeds office. Steve Hoare, editor of SBC’s Player Protection Hub, will moderate two sessions at the event.

Richard Clarke, Flutter’s Managing Director of Customer Product, stated: “We are extremely proud to host the Ethical Gambling Forum in Leeds, which we see as recognition of our industry-leading stance on customer safety.

“In the past year, we have completely overhauled our systems and integrated AI modelling to enhance our monitoring of risky behaviours. We continuously invest in, enhance, and perfect our market-leading systems that take proactive steps to promote positive play and more considered decision-making.

“Our goal is to pioneer, develop, and ultimately establish a benchmark for data-driven customer safety for the entire industry, from here in Leeds.”

Flutter reinforces RG commitment in UK&I

Flutter’s emphasis on responsible gaming and corporate social responsibility has a long history.

The company has notably engaged with startups in these fields. Its Alpha Hub, a technology unit launched in 2018 to focus on startup collaboration, has worked with new companies on responsible gaming and other projects.

Globally, the firm invested £100 million in safer gambling capabilities during 2024, reflecting its extensive international presence from the UK and Ireland to the US, where it owns the FanDuel brand.

From that £100 million total investment in 2024, £65 million was allocated to the UK and Ireland.

These markets, where Flutter originated from the 2016 merger of Paddy Power and Betfair, continue to be a central focus for the group and its responsible gambling objectives.

Last week, the company revealed a partnership in Ireland with EPIC Global Solutions, an organisation dedicated to gambling harm prevention education. The collaboration focuses on the League of Ireland (LOI), Ireland’s top professional football league.

The partners are creating a gambling awareness programme for all 32 senior men’s and women’s teams over three years. Flutter is financing the effort, which involves 70 workshops aiming to engage 2,000 participants annually.

The schedule features 32 sessions for senior LOI teams, covering 20 men’s and 12 women’s sides; 26 sessions for academy clubs, including U-17 men’s and women’s teams; plus 10 sessions for Women’s Development League senior teams and one session for match officials.

A workshop has also been conducted for Football Association Ireland (FAI) staff. More than 100 FAI employees attended a session on 21 April, led by Manchester-based EPIC.

EPIC has a lengthy track record of collaborating with Flutter, including on projects in the US with FanDuel, and with other leading betting operators such as William Hill.

On the new education programme, LOI Director Mark Scanlon commented: “We were very pleased to observe the initial effects of our partnership with EPIC, and the early outcomes confirm our dedication to proactive education.

“The surge in integrity awareness – especially within our women’s teams, from 53% to 94% – demonstrates that this education is truly resonating with players and creating tangible change.

“We anticipate expanding the education programme to our clubs’ academy teams in the coming months and are sure this preventative strategy will yield substantial benefits throughout the three-year partnership.”

Soon after announcing the EPIC and LOI partnership, Flutter revealed the winners of the Tech4Good Awards 2025, another example of the NYSE-listed firm engaging with both charitable and technology startup sectors.