UK And Ireland Get Behind Safer Gambling Week Initiative Once Again

The UK and Ireland have joined forces once again to promote responsible gambling in the betting industry. Safer Gambling Week, which is a cross-country initiative, runs from 17-23 November, and it intends to clearly signpost tools available to punters who are worried about or are currently experiencing problem betting.

Organised by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), BACTA, and the Bingo Association, Safer Gambling Week is now into its ninth year. The premise of the campaign is to stimulate conversations and equip bettors with the knowledge so they can wager with confidence.

Spreading the message

Whether playing online or at land-based venues, the BGC wants to ensure that punters, friends and family can feel comfortable discussing responsible gambling. Industry messages, such as ‘Don’t chase losses’, or ‘Stay within your limits’, are frequently bandied about.

Prominent UK betting sites and online casinos are signed up to organisations, such as BeGambleAware, where the emphasis is on bettors being aware of problem gambling, so they don’t fall into bad habits. Messages have been shared on social media platforms, but support for the Safer Gambling Week campaign has been backed by the UK government, with cross-party senior MPs advocating it.

Staying in control

Betting operators that are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) will have a range of tools and resources designed to help bettors stay in control. Among the most commonly advertised include:

• Deposit Limits - This is used by punters to ensure they don’t exceed financial expectations. Limits can be set online, either on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and some sites have budget calculators to help bettors determine a suitable wagering amount.

• Reality Checks - Punters can set up timed sessions indicating how long they’ve been playing for. They can choose whether to stop or continue betting.

• Self-Exclusion - Those bettors worried about their gambling can take a prolonged break. They can register for schemes, such as GAMSTOP, where they will be prevented from using gambling websites for anywhere between six months and five years.

The best betting operators will also have blocking software for bettors to take advantage of. BetBlocker, for example, is a free tool which bettors can install on as many devices as they wish, preventing them from accessing over 15,000 gambling sites.

Assessing key data points

Judging by past campaigns, Safer Gambling Week is having the desired effect. Analysis of last year’s initiative proved successful, with the BGC noting more than 1.5 million accounts used a responsible gambling tool during the week. This represented a 22% year-on-year (YoY) increase.

Meanwhile, Safer Gambling Week in 2024 set social media records with over 60 million impressions generated across major platforms. Across the week, 7.2 million messages were sent to consumers, reflecting a 10% uptick compared to 2023.

Discussing the importance of the campaign, Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said:

“While progress has been made, we must continue to ensure that the tools and protections available to consumers are effective and widely promoted.

“Collaboration and evidence-based action remain central to make gambling in Great Britain fairer, safer, and crime-free.”

Continuing to make strides

The BGC has been keen to stress the importance of Safer Gambling Week, and the campaign has made significant strides. With fears mounting about how a potential gambling tax hike could send punters in their droves to black market sites, Safer Gambling Week could prove to be a godsend in educating bettors.

For more information on Safer Gambling Week, please visit www.safergamblinguk.org or check out Safer Gambling’s social media channels.

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