The global gambling industry has been thriving in the past few years both online and offline and by the end of 2022, it is projected to reach a revenue of $261.8 billion. Thanks to the rising popularity of online casinos, spurred on by the latest tech innovations as well as the recent pandemic, leading gambling sites had recognized the need to start sharing some of their profits and giving back to their community through various charitable efforts. Let’s take a look at some of the contributions made by different gambling establishments:
Donating to specific charitable organizations
Many online gambling sites choose to contribute to the community by donating funds to organizations they respect and find valuable. This concept of donation is very common in the industry, and there are many operators all around the world practising this. For example, those living in Auckland would be familiar with the charitable activities in New Zealand by SkyCity, one of the city’s premiere gambling establishments. This operator has its own sustainability strategy that helps them collect the funds and divide them fairly between those organizations in need. So far, they have funded two significant groups that help care for the planet. The first is Million Meter Streams which deals with waterway restorations, and the second is Sustainable Coastlines which focuses on cleaning up Moana from litter. On top of that, part of the funds was also given to Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand. SkyCity is a great example of how online operators can streamline their efforts towards the ones that need them the most, and luckily for many charities out there, they are not a sole example.
The efforts of poker players
Inspired by the operators that give up part of their profits to help others, individual poker players also began sharing their winnings with those in need. As luck would have it, there are several examples of this practice in the world, and one of them is Martin Jacobson, the Swedish player who won $10 million in the WSOP main event that took place in 2014. According to the news revealed in early 2015, he donated $250,000 to the non-profit organization Raising for Effective Giving. Even though he gave up a significant chunk of his earnings, Jacobson claimed that the sum was not going to make a huge difference in his life and that he didn’t think twice about giving it away since he knew it could save other people’s lives. Another generous poker player, Dan Smith from the US, managed to win more than $17 million in several live events. After realizing he could use his winnings to make a difference in the world, he launched his own charity that already gathered more than $1.7 million meant to be donated to different organizations including the Against Malaria Foundation and the GiveDirectly company.
Annual fundraising
Some companies from the gambling industry have even made giving a tradition through annual campaigns. Microgaming, one of the leading game suppliers in the world, is known for its campaign the Gift of Giving which is organized every year. The campaign is part of their charity initiative named Play It Forward which strives to help local causes. Gift of Giving is a movement with plenty of room to grow since it operates by encouraging Microgaming’s partners and operators to make contributions to worthy causes.
Loyalty Club fundraising
Besides their own philanthropic efforts, online casinos also encourage players to get involved themselves, especially when it comes to high-rollers. The sites often remind their loyalty club members about the importance of giving back to society, and sometimes they even offer to match the value of the donation through rewards and bonuses.
Charitable lotteries
Lotteries are an amazing way for online casinos to help charities raise significant amounts of money, and this idea also expanded to national lotteries in certain countries. For example, the UK National Lottery which is now run by Camelot Group regularly donates a portion of its proceeds. To be more precise, for each pound spent on games like Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball, and Lotto Hotpicks, the organization donates 28% to charitable causes. On top of that, the givings are also supported by funds from the winners who have not been discovered. Every time someone wins the lottery they have six months to request their winnings, and if they don’t, the entire sum goes to charity.
The gambling industry has been growing exponentially, and it is wonderful to see that many market players are using their rise to also help the ones in need. Hopefully, more and more businesses will start following their example, helping this noble trend remain active for decades to come.
