Off the back of publishing its new handbook to guide the gambling industry when it comes to ensuring safer gambling standards are met, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has underlined that Safer Gambling Week (18th – 24th November 2024), is “a good opportunity to recognise the important work being done by the industry”.
A vocal point for this year’s initiative is ensuring that players are aware of the toolbox and the assets that are available to them, to benefit from a safer playing experience.
Organised by the BGC, BACTA and the Bingo Association, Safer Gambling Week is now in its eighth year and will once again see a range of safer gambling messages, both online and in land-based venues, in a bid to grow the nationwide conversation about betting responsibly.
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “Ensuring safety should always be central to every aspect of gambling.
“However, Safer Gambling Week offers a valuable chance to emphasise this priority even further.
“It also enables operators to exchange best practices, helping to make gambling in Britain among the safest experiences worldwide.”
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the BGC, added: “Safer Gambling Week is about showcasing safer gambling tools that exist in the regulated industry all year round to ensure that the millions of people who enjoy a regular flutter, continue to do so in a safe and responsible environment.
“Previous years have shown that this campaign leads to increased use of those popular safer gambling tools – like time-outs and deposit limits.”
Safer Gambling Week and ensuring social responsibility standards are met are also vital for affiliates, with imperative steps being essential to ensure that traffic is safe.
It brings further into focus the essential steps that affiliates take to ensure they target the right audiences with their content and bring in traffic of value to operator partners.
Andrew Lee, COO of QiH Group, stated: “As a company focused on generating high-quality, responsible gambling traffic to our operator partner sites, safer gambling is a daily consideration for QiH Group. We recognise Safer Gambling Week as a valuable opportunity to stay engaged with the broader industry conversations and to hear from the community on responsible gambling.
“As affiliates are often an initial touchpoint for customers, our priority is maintaining a safe, compliant environment that benefits our partners and, ultimately, their customers.
“We believe in supporting a balanced approach where gambling remains what it should be: safe, enjoyable entertainment.”
Pivotal to the BGC’s new standards was ensuring that land-based casinos are prevalent with safer gambling messaging.
New guidance for the casino sector features a host of strategies, including ensuring that slot machine safer gambling messaging is boosted – “outside of game play, at least 20% of slot machine top screen imagery to be dedicated to safer gambling messaging, where game and machine functionality permits”.
As well as this, one strategy bids for safer gambling messaging to appear on slot machine receipts (referred to as TITO), promoting safer gambling and advice on staying in control, including the National Helpline phone number.
These measures will apply across the diverse membership of the BGC, including land-based operators like casinos, which are a pillar of the hospitality and tourism sector, bookmakers on hard-pressed high streets and online gaming operators.
