Our Commitment to Responsible Gaming at DraftKings Begins With Employees

Chrissy Thurmond, Head of Responsible Gaming Relations
Sep 20, 2023 10:30 AM ET

Since joining DraftKings in 2020, I have been impressed with how the dialogue around Responsible Gaming (RG) has expanded in the entire industry. The collaborative efforts of stakeholders from across the industry is greater than ever, and the focus on education is the nexus of the dialogue. For the month of September, we are joining the American Gaming Association in commemorating 25 years of Responsible Gaming Education Month, and DraftKings will be highlighting the commitments we have made in keeping responsible gaming education at the forefront of the player experience, beginning with employee education.

The most important components of an RG program are education, training, and tools. We want our players, as well as our employees, to be as informed as possible in RG. We utilize a holistic, systems-based approach to RG that requires engagement between a wide array of stakeholders. Our approach is founded in public health frameworks and involves educating and engaging with employees to ensure that all internal stakeholders understand their role as responsible gaming ambassadors.

We provide as many resources and touch points to our organization and employees as possible. We go above and beyond in our RG training, which means that not only do we get in front of all new employees at on-boarding and require mandatory RG training annually, but we also work with our internal stakeholder teams to provide customized training and education throughout the year. One of the major ways that we accomplish that goal is through our robust internal Safer Play Portal, which is designed to enhance the culture of responsible gaming as a core value at DraftKings. This site offers up-to-date responsible gaming resources and training opportunities to all DraftKings employees.

Our Safer Play Portal provides a one-stop-shop on all things RG at DraftKings. Here we provide helpful definitions about RG, interactive quizzes, common “mythconceptions”, highlights of our Safer Play Champion employees who have gone above and beyond in their jobs to support and embrace RG, rapid research reviews, lived experience presentations, access to internal resources and so much more.

Socializing the importance of RG to our employees is imperative. As our program continues to evolve and we learn more about best practices in the RG space, we remain informed by prevailing research, customer and community input, and consultation with our partners at the Harvard Medical School affiliate, Cambridge Health Alliance.

I am also honored to share that for the second year in a row DraftKings has been recognized by the National Council on Problem Gambling with the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program award for outstanding commitment to social responsibility as it relates to responsible gaming. This achievement is a team effort and underscores our steadfast commitment to continually promoting responsible gaming by educating and training our employees.