Corporate Responsibility

The Group endeavours to act responsibly for all its stakeholders, including not only its shareholders, employees, and its customers but the wider public, regulators and the environment.

The Sportech Venues division holds licences for business-to-consumer activity for pari-mutuel betting on horse and greyhound racing in Connecticut, USA.

The Chief Executive Officer ensures the Group meets its policy of maintaining the highest standards of compliance and integrity. The Group also employs security and compliance staff whose primary role is to ensure that our customers are treated fairly, that our advertising is compliant with advertising standards and codes, that the young and vulnerable are prevented from accessing our products, and that abuse and illegal behaviour are identified and stopped. All gaming products are subject to age restrictions and age verification software is used by the Group where appropriate.

Over the past 10 years, Sportech businesses have raised and donated over £21m ($28m) for charitable initiatives.

We are proud of our heritage of giving and we are committed to continuing to support the local communities in which our businesses operate.

The Board is acutely aware of the vital contribution of employees to the future success of the business. It recognises the importance of providing employees with information on matters of concern to them, enabling employees to improve their performance and make an active contribution to the achievement of the Group’s business objectives. This is accomplished through formal and informal briefings and meetings. Employee representatives are consulted regularly on a wide range of matters affecting their interests.

The Group is committed to equality of opportunity and dignity at work for all, irrespective of race, colour, creed, ethnic or national origins, gender, marital status, sexuality, disability, class or age. It ensures that recruitment and promotion decisions are made solely on the basis of suitability for the job.

It is the policy of the Group to comply with the requirements of the UK Disability and Equality Act 2010 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in offering equality of opportunity to disabled persons applying for employment, selection being made on the basis of the most suitable person for the job in respect of experience and qualifications. Training, career development and promotion are offered to all employees on the basis of their merit and ability.

Every effort is made to continue to employ, in the same or alternative employment, and where necessary to retrain employees who become disabled during their employment with the Group.

The Group proactively addresses health and safety management, and it has a programme of risk identification, management and improvement in place.

The Company has obligations under the UK Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013 (“the 2013 Regulations”) and the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report) Regulations 2019 (“the 2019 Regulations”) to report on greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions. The Group has calculated an intensity ratio for 2021 of 104.7 which is 2,402 tonnes of CO2 divided by the Group’s revenue from continuing operations of £22.9m, compared to a prior year ratio of 172.1, which is calculated as 2,839 CO2 tonnes divided by revenue at constant currency from continuing operations of £16.9m. The Group’s intensity ratio has decreased by 39.2% due to closure of venues in 2020 which still needed heating despite no revenue generation, as well as the closure in 2021 of an inefficient old venue, although revenue was transferred to nearby venues.

Of the emissions noted in the table, minimal were generated in the UK as the Group only has one small, efficient office in the UK. The emissions and energy data noted above has been collated, calculated and presented using the methodology set out in WRI / WBCSD The Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (Revised Edition), March 2004, including separate guidance on Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.