Gaming supplier International Game Technology PLC announced that it has been awarded certification for its lottery operations by the World Lottery Association (WLA) for the WLA Associate Member Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Standards and Certification Framework.
“Responsible gaming is fundamental to our business success and our corporate social responsibility initiatives are part of our DNA,” said Robert K. Vincent, IGT senior vice president, human resources and public affairs. “These principles govern the protection of our lottery customers and their players. It also gives us a unique opportunity to work more closely with our responsible gaming stakeholders, refresh our advertising practices, and involve our employees in unique ways to reinforce the company’s commitment to responsibly delivering growth to the lottery industry.”
An external appraisal was performed by a WLA-approved assessor, Gaming Laboratories International. GLI provided an informed, complete, and impartial assessment of the company’s lottery operations and completed a Statement of Alignment reflecting IGT’s compliance with the eight sections of the WLA CSR standards.
The eight standards include research, employee program, product and service development;, remote gaming environment, advertising and marketing communications, client awareness, stakeholder engagement, and reporting. IGT also received letters in support of its application from key stakeholders such as customers, problem gambling associations, and world-renowned problem gambling scholars.
“We are honored to be recognized by the WLA as an industry leader in CSR and Responsible Gaming, and we will continue to evaluate and strengthen the technology and consumer safeguards we provide to our customers,” said Vincent.
In 2012, IGT received an invitation from the WLA to be a part of a Responsible Gaming pilot program for lottery vendors and suppliers. In 2014, WLA released its standards document for the pilot program that ultimately set Responsible Gaming requirements for vendors and suppliers across the industry. The Company will keep Corporate Social Responsibility front and center in the expanding gaming industry. IGT will seek recertification from the WLA in 2018.