RCS - Entain PLC - Global Impact Diversity & Inclusion Initiative

EntainAnnouncement

10/11/2021 12:00

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RNS Number : 9597R  Entain PLC  10 November 2021

Entain Launches First Global Impact Diversity & Inclusion Initiative

 

"EnTrain" Seeks to Support One Million People by 2030

 

10 November 2021: Entain, the global sports betting, gaming and interactive
entertainment group has today unveiled EnTrain, a new multi-million-pound
global initiative to increase access to technology and improve diversity. The
goal is to positively impact the lives of over 1,000,000 people around the
world, either directly or through their families and dependents, by 2030.

 

This marks the first global, strategic commitment from the Entain Foundation
to contribute to the international communities in which it operates, with a
single initiative supporting people across all under-represented groups. It
builds on programmes launched earlier this year by the Foundation to support
women in technology.

 

The programme is launched today at "Entain Sustain", the Group's first ESG
event to showcase its leadership in this important area of corporate
responsibility and to outline new initiatives and commitments.

 

"Entain is an ambitious business and sustainability is one of our two core
strategic pillars. It benefits our customers and is also good for our business
and the wider communities we are part of," said Jette Nygarrd-Andersen, Chief
Executive of Entain. "I believe passionately that we have a vital role to play
in inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in technology. As we
re-shape the future of interactive entertainment, we also want to help many
more people become involved. Our new EnTrain initiative provides the building
blocks to help them, through access to academic and vocational courses and the
technological expertise and equipment they need to succeed."

 

The EnTrain initiative is comprised of four core pillars:

 

·    Entain Academy: Supplying transformative technology training for the
next generation

·    Entain Scholarships: Providing the platform for a diverse selection
of candidates to become digital pioneers

·    Entain Apprenticeships: Upskilling and developing our existing
employees, and expanding external apprenticeship schemes with new and existing
partners

·    Entain Partnerships: Partnering and collaborating with organisations
around the world who amplify and support diversity in technology

 

The new global partnerships, announced today as part of EnTrain, aim to
provide opportunities for under-represented and disadvantaged groups in the
communities in which Entain operates - across the UK, Europe, Australia, and
the Americas:

 

·    The Entain Foundation is funding nine apprentices with YGAM (the
Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust) in the UK. The apprenticeships,
which will start before the end of 2021, range from one to four years in
duration. These aim to provide employees at YGAM opportunities to develop new
skills in coaching, leadership, and project management.

 

Daniel Bliss, Director of External Affairs at YGAM, has said of the
partnership: "We are extremely grateful for this support from Entain. This
initiative will support our ambitious people strategy and help develop the
expertise of our staff team. As a result, our charity will be better
equipped to continue our growth and increase our social impact."

 

·    In Europe, the Entain Foundation is funding a partnership with the
Berlin University of Technology and the Nexus Institute, to develop an
international executive training programme to enhance diversity in research
and development. The programme, aimed at technology managers, founders and
start-ups, as well as R&D personnel in the private sector, higher
education and research organisations, supports the globally recognised concept
of Gendered Innovations (https://genderedinnovations.stanford.edu/) ,
developed by renowned Professor, Londa Schiebinger from Stanford University.
The concept of Gendered Innovations employs methods of sex, gender and
intersectional analysis to create new knowledge in medicine, engineering, and
ICT.

 

·    In the US, Entain has a scholarship partnership with the University
of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), to support applicants looking to build careers in
the online sports betting and gaming industries. The first graduate placements
will work alongside software engineers and technologists working in Entain's
Global Innovation Team at the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.

 

·    The Entain Foundation is entering a partnership with non-profit
organisation Tiempo de Juego to launch a high-performance and community-led
female football team in Colombia. The programme provides an integral
educational offer to 25 girls, including six football training sessions per
week, three English lessons per week, and psychosocial counselling. It aims to
create sports-related life projects in the country and tackle the invisible
barriers that girls and women face when it comes to both practicing and
competing in sports.

 

·    In Australia, Entain is finalising a multi-faceted strategy to
deliver improved outcomes for under-represented groups in technology.
Headlined by its new "Pathways Academy", Entain will partner with a
cross-section of education providers to deliver enhanced pathways into
technology-based industries for women, migrant workers, indigenous and
neurodiverse groups.

 

Through existing initiatives, Entain has already helped approximately 50,000
people around the world in 2021 and EnTrain will build on this between now and
2030. This includes support via previous apprenticeships and donations to
existing partners promoting diversity to under-represented groups, such as the
partnership with Girls Who Code announced earlier this year.

 

--ENDS--

 

 

Contacts

 

Enquiries:

 Investor Relations - Entain plc                                                                                                                             investors@entaingroup.com (mailto:investors@entaingroup.com)

 David Lloyd-Seed, Group Director of IR & Corporate Communications                                                                                           david.lloyd-seed@entaingroup.com (mailto:david.lloyd-seed@entaingroup.com)

 Davina Hobbs, Head of Investor Relations                                                                                                                    davina.hobbs@entaingroup.com (mailto:davina.hobbs@entaingroup.com)

 Callum Sims, Investor Relations Manager                                                                                                                     callum.sims@entaingroup.com
 Media - Entain plc                                                                                                                                          media@entaingroup.com

 Tessa Curtis, Head of Group PR & Media Relations                                                                                                            tessa.curtis@entaingroup.com (mailto:tessa.curtis@entaingroup.com)

 Jay Dossetter, Head of ESG and Press Office                                                                                                                 jay.dossetter@entaingroup.com (mailto:jay.dossetter@entaingroup.com)

 Jodie Hitch, PR                                                                                                                                             jodie.hitch@entaingroup.com
 Manager

 

 

Notes to Editors

 

The Entain Foundation supports a variety of worthwhile causes
(https://entaingroup.com/corporate-responsibility/supporting-good-causes/) ,
including:

·      Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health alliance, Harvard Medical
School

Entain is investing $5.5 million in a 5-year research project with the
Division on Addiction (https://www.divisiononaddiction.org/) at Cambridge
Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. The objective of
the project is to better increase our understanding of problem gambling, and
thereby find ways to prevent its development where possible and find more
effective approaches to treatment.

·      Girls Who Code

An international non-profit organisation working to close the gender gap in
technology. Entain supports its global programmes to bring young women into
the technology industry, most notably in the UK, US, Canada and India. Entain
is proud to be one of Girls Who Codes' most significant global partners.

·      Tech Girls Movement Foundation Australia

An organisation which challenges gender perceptions that limit girls'
participation in STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics)
through community and industry collaborations, providing mentorship by women
who already have successful technology careers as well as to young women
looking for careers guidance.

·      Pitching In grassroots sport investment fund

Pitching In (https://entaingroup.com/corporate-responsibility/pitching-in/)
launched at a time when football clubs and sporting organisations faced an
unprecedented impact on their finances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Launched
in September 2020, the multi-million-pound, multi-year, investment programme
kicked-off with a flagship partnership with The Isthmian, Northern Premier and
Southern Leagues - collectively known as The Trident Leagues - which make up
levels seven and eight of the English football league pyramid.

·      SportsAid

Through our multi-year strategic partnership with SportsAid
(https://entaingroup.com/corporate-responsibility/sportsaid-partnership/) ,
the charity which supports aspiring athletes, and part of our Pitching In
investment programme, Entain provides British athletes with financial support,
recognition and personal development opportunities. Each athlete receives an
annual award which contributes towards costs such as travel, accommodation and
equipment. Through the partnership, Entain is helping 50 up-and-coming sports
stars across the country each year.

·      Inter Milan Football Club - promoting participation in women's
football

The Entain Foundation has launched a collaboration with Inter Milan Football
Club to promote participation in women's football in Italy. Backed by a
national media campaign, partnered with Gazzetta dello Sport, the project is
developing a football-related talent show for aspiring female footballers.

·      US Fund to Support Research on Sports Wagering

The Foundation has become a Bronze Donor to the Fund to Support Research on
Sports Wagering, which was recently launched by the US National Center for
Responsible Gaming. The objective of this project, which is first of its kind
in the US, is to competitively award researchers at top tier institutions with
the resources needed to uncover novel insights into what the introduction of
legalised, regulated sports betting means for public health.

·      German Sports Integrity Forum

Together with German Bundesliga clubs Borussia Dortmund and 1.FC Koeln, and
the sports integrity platform, the Play Fair Code, the Entain Foundation
recently launched the German Sports Integrity Forum. The aim of the Forum is
to raise further awareness of sports integrity programmes in Germany and other
German speaking countries.

·      Professional Players Federation

The Foundation has a partnership with the Professional Players Federation (the
"PPF"), the national organisation for the professional player associations in
the UK, to fund its anti-match-fixing player education programmes. The
partnership enables the PPF to support the development and delivery of online
learning and face-to-face education to hundreds of sportspeople in sports such
as football, cricket, rugby union, golf, darts and snooker.

 

About the Entain Foundation

The Entain Foundation was established to coordinate and support Entain's ESG
and CSR initiatives, objectives and donations around the world. The
Foundation's efforts are focused on four key areas: Responsible gambling,
sports integrity and gambling regulation research, education and treatment;
Grass roots, women's and disability sport; diversity in technology; and
Projects with a clear link to the local community in Entain's major office
locations.

 

About Entain plc

Entain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the world's largest
sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail
sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports
Brands include bwin, Bet.pt, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds and
Sportingbet; Gaming Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala,
Gioco Digitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group
owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in
addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party
customers on a B2B basis.

 

The Group has a joint-venture with MGM Resorts International creating a
leader, BetMGM, in sports betting and iGaming in the US. Entain provides the
technology which powers BetMGM and exclusive games and products, specially
developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK
with licenses in a total of 27 regulated markets. Entain is a leader in ESG, a
member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AA rated by MSCI. The Group has set a
science-based target, committing to be carbon net zero by 2035 and through the
Entain Foundation supports a variety of initiatives, focusing on safer
gambling, grassroots sport, diversity in technology and community projects.

 

For more information see the Group's website: www.entaingroup.com
(https://www.entaingroup.com/)

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