The U.K.-based Lloyds Banking Group and security tech firm Gamban have partnered to provide a software platform that aims to protect against problem gambling sites and applications, across several platforms including iOS, Android, Windows and macOS.
The system which is integrated into Lloyd’s online payment gateway is expected to help people who struggle with gambling by blocking gaming sites and social media sites which have gaming APIs embedded into them.
“It’s very positive to see forward-thinking banking institutions such as Lloyds Banking Group rise to the challenge of protecting vulnerable customers from gambling addiction through barriers such as spend control and collaboration with market-leading gambling-blocking technology,” said Gamban founder Jack Symons.
Elyn Corfield, managing director, consumer finance for Lloyds Banking Group, added, “We know that gambling-related harm can have serious and long term impacts on our customers and we are committed to making sure they can easily access a wide range of support.
“In addition to our card controls that allow the freezing of gambling transactions we are delighted to have developed a pilot with Gamban offering our customers three months free access to their software, providing another level of protection.”
The software will be rolled out by Lloyd’s, Halifax and the Bank of Scotland. The U.K. bank’s decision to team up with Gamban is part of a push by the bank to tackle problematic gambling by some of its customers.
