Flutter Entertainment has funnelled a further £1.5m into responsible gambling and player safety, launching a new dedicated centre at one of its major UK headquarters.

Located in the firm’s Leeds, West Yorkshire, HQ, the ‘Centre of Excellence’ is intended as a place for collaboration, learning and experimentation in the field of responsible gambling and customer protection.

The move forms part of a wider focus on responsible gaming tools, with Flutter having set itself a target of 75% of its customer base using these tools by 2030. The current rate sits at 60%, according to the Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair parent group.

Flutter’s new hub will host the company’s 450-strong customer safety team, and serve as an area for them to develop and test technological capabilities in this field.

The opening of the hub has been timed with Flutter’s Leeds office hosting the Ethical Gambling Forum, where the editor of SBC’s Player Protection Hub, Steve Hoare, will be moderating two sessions.

Richard Clarke, Flutter’s Managing Director of Customer Product, explained: “We’re incredibly proud to be hosting the Ethical Gambling Forum here in Leeds and believe it’s testimony to our industry leading position on customer safety.

“Over the last year we’ve rebuilt our systems from the ground up, and incorporated AI modelling to help with our monitoring of risk behaviours. We are always investing in, improving and refining our market-leading systems that proactively intervene to encourage positive play and encourage more mindful decisions.

“It is our ambition to originate, develop and ultimately set a standard in data-backed customer safety for the industry, right here from the heart of Leeds.”

Flutter doubles down on RG in UK&I

Flutter’s focus on responsible gaming and CSR in general, dates back many years. 

The company has been particularly active in working with startups in these areas, with its Alpha Hub, a technology division focused on startup activity founded in 2018, working with startups on responsible gaming among other areas.

In 2024, the firm invested £100m in safer gambling capabilities globally, taking into account its vast international scale from the UK and Ireland to the US – being the owner of the FanDuel sportsbook, online casino and predictions brand in the latter.

Of the £100m invested in 2024, however, £65m was invested in the UK and Ireland.

These markets, where Flutter has its origins in the merger of Irish retail and online sportsbook Paddy Power and UK-founded betting exchange Betfair in 2016, remain a core focus for the group and RG priorities.

Just last week, the company announced an Ireland-focused partnership with EPIC Global Solutions, a gambling harm prevention education organisation. The arrangement centres around the League of Ireland (LOI), the all-Ireland professional football league.

The duo are working on a gambling awareness course delivered to all 32 senior men’s and women’s teams over a three-year period. Flutter is funding the initiative, which delivers 70 workshops with an aim of reaching 2,000 participants a year.

The calendar includes 32 sessions to senior LOI teams, spread over 20 men’s and 12 women’s teams; 26 sessions to academy clubs, including U-17s men’s and women’s teams; along with 10 sessions to Women’s Development League senior teams and one session to match officials. 

One session has also been delivered by Football Association Ireland (FAI) staff. Over 100 FAI staff members attended a workshop on 21 April, hosted by Manchester-based EPIC. 

The organisation has a long history of working with Flutter, including on US initiatives with FanDuel, as well as with other major betting operators like William Hill.

Commenting on the new awareness programme, LOI Director Mark Scanlon said: “We were delighted to see the initial impact of our partnership with EPIC and the early results validate our commitment to proactive education. 

“The jump in integrity awareness – particularly among our women’s teams, from 53% to 94% – shows this education is genuinely landing with players and making a real difference. 

“We look forward to rolling out the education programme across our clubs academy teams over the next few months and we’re confident this prevention-based approach will have a significant impact over the three years of this partnership.”

Shortly after the EPIC and LOI partnership was announced, Flutter unveiled the winners of the Tech4Good Awards 2025, another case of the NYSE-listed company working with both the charity and tech-startup sectors.