Safer Gambling Week 2022: Better Player Protection When Responsible Operators Unite

The fifth Safer Gambling Week kicked off yesterday, 17 October, and the industry-wide event creates awareness of how players can enjoy responsible gambling. Throughout the 7-day event, British and European gambling businesses drive objectives relating to decreased gambling harm. 

Celebrity endorsements and media campaigns by licensed operators unite to educate punters on the tools available to enable responsible gambling. As in previous years, social media is vital for the drive, where participants address the various goals through blitz messages. 

 Prevention Protocols

Earlier this year, Michael Dugher from the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) commented on the year-round efforts of licensed operators that reduced gambling harm rates in the UK to 0.2%. With an aim for prevention rather than cure, Safer Gambling Week directs players to options that prevent a spiral into gambling addiction. BGC hopes the event sparks conversations throughout the gambling community on safer gambling practices. 

BACTA chief executive John White noted:

“Safer Gambling Week once again allows the industry to showcase its year-round commitment to safer gambling. It also brings customer focus to the tools that are available to them if they in any way feel their gambling is becoming problematic.”

The UK-based responsible gambling organisation dedicated to the week, safergamblinguk.org, offers a range of tools for gamblers and operators to empower everyone in the industry.

 Empowering Players 

Statistics from the 2021 Safer Gambling Week marked a notable increase in participation, compared to 2020, with a 16% growth in social media impressions. The Safer Gambling Week website experienced a significant rise in visits during last year's event, with a 79% increase in sessions. On the site, players receive priceless information on how to practice safe gambling and what tools to enable. 

As advised by gambling addiction experts, self-imposed limits and exclusion have the best results for harm prevention. The phrase 'Time is Money. Have you set limits for both?' along with other calls to pause and assess the situation appear on various social media platforms. 

The Safer Gambling drive aims to solidify the following ideas:

• Time, spending, and loss limits are essential to managing gambling habits.
• Only gamble with money you can afford to lose.
• Gambling does not solve personal problems.
• Gambling shouldn’t interfere with personal relationships.
• There are resources to help players take back control. 

Responsible gambling organisations like GamCare, national gambling hotlines, BeGambleAware, and others offer players, and their loved ones, remote and in-person support with gambling-related issues.  

 Industry Initiatives

Since yesterday’s launch, social media feeds constantly display posts by responsible gambling organisations and leading operators like bet365, Entain, and other industry experts. With captions to draw the reader's attention to safer gambling practices, these participants create a public platform for the conversation on improving gambling protection and breaking the stigma around compulsive gambling disorder. 

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) promote the same initiative with members participating in the cause. On its website, the EGBA offer access to webinars hosted by registered members on various topics related to safer gambling. 

With the licensed and regulated industry committed to safer gambling, a global shift to improved player experiences and shared best practices by operators move to minimise gambling harm.