Kindred Taps into Indian Talent with a Bengaluru Tech Hub

Indian Silicon Valley will Join Kindred Teams in Australia and Europe

Looking towards continued global growth and expansion, casino and sportsbook operator and owner of 9 renowned brands Kindred Group PLC has announced the establishment of a new Tech Hub in Bengaluru, which will work hand in hand with the company’s existing teams in Australia and Europe.

The fresh investment in “the Silicon Valley of India,” as Kindred’s talent acquisition partner Sukruthi Kumar named Karnataka‘s capital, will help the Group find the “talented individuals who are passionate about technology, gaming, and responsible practices” needed to support the operator’s plans.

“Bengaluru is the Silicon Valley of India and the skills we are after are plentiful here. It is a very competitive market, and we feel very confident that Kindred is an attractive employer with an amazing work culture,” Kumar pointed out.

Job Opportunities for “A Positive Impact in the World of Online Gaming”

According to the Group’s talent acquisition partner, Kindred is looking for professionals from various technical fields with superb skills and knowledge in their area of expertise who want to make “a positive impact in the world of online gaming.”

Bengaluru provides over 87% of Karnataka’s GDP and between 34% and 40% of India’s IT exports. The city is considered one of the Top 30 smartest metros in the world, and its more than 30 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Software Parks host facilities for around 80% of the world’s tech giants.

The number of IT professionals working in Bengaluru is expected to reach 80 lakh soon, and the company aims to quickly become one of the top employers in the region.

The city is a “fast-paced, fast-growing, innovative Tech center,” Kindred Group’s Head of IT for India Nikos Christodoulou said, sharing his expectations that plenty of exceptional local talent will work in the new Tech Hub and contribute to Kindred’s growth strategy.

At the same time, the global casino and sportsbook operator enters the local job scene on the backdrop of mass layoffs and trouble for the homegrown gaming companies that offer online money games on the Indian market.

Kindred’s Progress towards Zero Revenue from Harmful Gambling

Six months ago, we reported on Kindred’s unique responsible gaming initiative. It aimed to openly share the percentage of the Group’s revenue derived from high-risk gambling and the effectiveness of interventions in improving high-risk customers’ gambling behavior.

Currently, the company’s website shows that the situation has improved over the two quarters since Kindred’s announcement in October last year. In the first quarter of 2024, the operator’s share of total global revenues from high-risk gamblers stood at 3.2%. This marks a slight decrease from the previous quarter, where the figure was 3.3%. However, there was a notable improvement in intervention success. 87.1% of cases show positive outcomes. This is compared to 86.7% in Q3 2023, when the first report was released.

Kindred Group classifies gamblers by risk level. Social Gamblers contributed 71.8% of total revenues, up from 71.3% in Q3 2023. Low-Risk Gamblers provided 21.9%, slightly up from 21.8% six months ago. Medium-Risk Gamblers contributed 3.1%, down from 3.6% in Q3 2023.

The available data covers four years, showing continuous improvement in revenue distribution and responsible gambling interventions.

In the first quarter of 2020, Social Gamblers accounted for 60.7% of revenues. Low-Risk Gamblers contributed 25.6%, and Medium-Risk Players made up 9.9%. High-Risk Gamblers represented 3.9% of reported revenues. Kindred’s Player Safety – Early Detection System (PS-EDS) achieved a success rate of 77.3% in its interventions.

13% revenue growth year on year

These multi-level improvements have occurred despite a growing user base and market reach. The company’s annual financial report for 2023 shows significant revenue growth. It marked a 13% increase year-on-year (YoY) to GBP 1,210.5 million ($1,537 million, ₹12,806 crore). Free cash flow also grew by 48%, reaching GBP 103.3 million ($131.2 million, ₹1,092.8 crore).

The PS-EDS system debuted in 2012. It is “a product of years of Kindred working in tandem with leading researchers to develop an approach that can accurately identify harmful gambling behaviour,” as stated on their corporate website.

This system uses an algorithm based on the DSM-5, web analytics, and risk calculations. The PS-EDS evaluates 27 criteria and behavioral indicators.

Once the system detects a risk profile, Kindred’s responsible gambling experts are ready to ensure the best protection for vulnerable customers.