Play responsibly with Safer Gambling Week 2020

Safer Gambling Week 2020, which runs from 19 to 25 November, has online casinos rethinking their responsible gambling tools, systems, support vehicles and protocols.

Gambling brings fun and excitement to players from all over the UK who do their bit to make positive choices as they play games of chance.

With the wide range of free resources and support groups available, casino operators are fulfilling their role of creating the best possible experience for their players. They must ensure that they stay on top of research and developments so that they don’t fall behind in this fast-growing market.

With gambling offering the highest of highs and lowest of lows as players win and lose, the emotive landscape of casino games has led to a need for a well-stocked tool belt to aid players at every stage of their journey.

Safer Gambling Week’s Call to Action

The key aims of the Safer Gambling Week awareness campaign are to:

• Encourage safe gambling both off and online
• To ensure the availability of responsible gambling tools all year round
• Create a comprehensive one-stop-shop of resources and support

The campaign is a cross-industry initiative that has participating vendors and websites throughout the UK establish the best practices possible.

These practices should benefit families, casino staff and gamblers as they are supported with every possible resource they need to gamble responsibly.

The campaign even encompasses arcades, bingo halls and bookmakers to approach gambling from all possible angles.

Great Britain Trendsetters

Through the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Great Britain has pioneered a great deal in the way of the regulation and ratification of the online gambling industry.

Considered to be the gambling board with the most stringent requirements, the UKGC takes responsible gambling very seriously. Through initiatives like GambleAware, the UKGC plays a significant role in making sure gambling remains a source of fun for players.

The UKGC only issues gambling licenses to casinos who are reputable in their business practices, list games by verified casino game software developers, and are audited by an independent 3rd party agency.

When it comes to the player, the Commission has created a comprehensive guide to encourage players to choose to gamble responsibly.

Responsible Gambling Awareness

The key to many responsible gambling guidelines is to help players see gambling as fun, rather than a way to make money. Professional gamblers do exist, however, they are the exception, rather than the rule.

Gambling is a highly emotive experience which can lead to players risking it all as they try to win cash, or find themselves in financial difficulty. Ensuring that the loved ones of gamblers know what to look out for can aid them in intervening should they notice irresponsible behaviour.

Safer Gambling Week Approach

The Safer Gambling team have taken a multi-pronged approach to raise awareness about the hazards of gambling and the best course of action to make a difference. Through banners, ads on social media and other tools, the campaign takes the following approach:

• Identifying gambling behaviour and which questions to ask
• The 5 key behaviours of safer gambling
• How to access resources and support

Promotional materials that cover these key messages have been created by experts in the industry like the National Gambling Helpline and GamCare and will be strategically displayed by Facebook who are keen to do their bit in aiding the spread of information across social media channels.

The handy images will cover responsible gambling and offer thought-provoking tips.

The gambling support professionals have also created videos, infographics and TikTok resources that can easily be shared on social media and email as they do their very best to spread the word as widely as possible.

Residents of the UK and Ireland are invited to make contact with the following organisations should they feel the need to reach out for gambling support:

• Great Britain: 0808 8020 133
• Ireland: 1800 936 725
• Northern Ireland: 08000 886 725

Note: These numbers are free of charge from a land-based telephone.

Those who reside outside these countries are welcome to check out our responsible gambling page for phone numbers and other tools that offer support and advice for anyone looking to gain a greater understanding of this topic.