Trying to do its part to help problem gamblers, bwin has signed a five-year extension with the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School, to continue aiding in a research project—the aim of the collaboration is to "use scientific evidence to create the safest possible online gaming environment by implementing the findings of the world's largest longitudinal study," a release said.

The two have already been working together for three years, helping to develop standards, aid in research related to responsible gaming and as well, helping to develop gaming tools for customers.

"The prime research objective is to establish a scientific evidence base that can guide the development of safe, recreational gaming environments and prevent the emergence of gaming-related problems as well as reduce any such problems that already exist," the release went on to say.

Data from in excess of 47,000 subjects has been collected and analyzed over the span of three years and according to the two, is the "the largest longitudinal study of its kind worldwide."

Research data is not subject to skewing because of different interpretations as it was derived from "actual customer data."

"bwin has taken the industry's leading position for corporate social responsibility," said the Associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Division on Addictions, Dr. Howard Shaffer.

"Their commitment to the scientific process and unwillingness to take shortcuts to achieve short-term gains is noteworthy and indicative of its commitment to the health and welfare of its subscribers."

Meanwhile, Manfred Bodner, bwin's Co-CEO, said that it would only be of benefit to aid in problem gambling.

"We need to understand what goes on in consumers' minds and be able to answer fundamental questions about online gaming based on scientific evidence—and not based on speculation," explained Bodner.

"Ultimately, we are interested in creating behavioral models capable of predicting certain outcomes. Therefore, we are working towards establishing the scientific foundation that will yield algorithms capable of identifying risk patterns associated with disordered gambling so that we can prevent them."