QHA-Review_July_digital

NEWS
REACHING OUT
IN A TIME WHERE MENTAL HEALTH IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, EMERGING
TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS OK2PLAY? IS A SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE OPTION FOR HELPING PEOPLE IN NEED.
QHA REVIEW | 12
In acknowledgement of Gambling Harm Awareness
Week, we thought it appropriate to shine a light on a
product helping to create safer gambling experiences
in venues across Queensland.
OK2PLAY? is the leading player protection platform for
the hospitality industry, and asks gamblers to confirm
if they are okay to play in a discreet and seamless
manner before they start gambling. Built by Australian
tech company GPT, the technology was developed
as a pathway for venue patrons to ask for assistance
while also increasing the response speed of staff.
The program prompts individuals to respond to the
question ‘OK2PLAY?’ at various points in a hospitality
location with gaming machines. While the patrons
who respond ‘yes’ will have a relatively unchanged
experience, for those feeling susceptible or uncertain,
the technology triggers a private in-venue response
from staff to assist, which will then allow the individuals
to be linked with support services.
CEO of OK2PLAY?, Bryan Te Wani, said the simple
and effective technology bypasses all of the barriers
society may put up for people seeking help.
“The anonymity of technology means people don’t
have to consider who they might ask, what they will
say or what that person might think if they approach
them for help.
“It removes all those hurdles to capture patrons in
action and prompt them to stop for a moment and
consider, ‘Am I really okay to do this right now?’,” he
said.
Many venues throughout Queensland and New South
Wales have embraced OK2PLAY?, with launches
further planned in other venues and hotels over the
coming months. In addition to protecting the people
that need it in a respectful way, the technology also
provides venues with staff protection, as the platform
acts as the first level of detection for identifying at-risk
individuals.
Bryan said most importantly, the platform helps bring
people together and allows those seeking help to have
a human-to-human connection.
“If a patron is no longer enjoying the experience and is
struggling in that moment, venues should provide an
exceptional level of care for these individuals and take
their responsibility seriously, for the patron, the staff
and the community.
“What OK2PLAY? provides is a tool for protecting
players while also protecting staff who have previously
been responsible for the incredibly difficult task of
recognising vulnerable patrons,” he said.