1 – 7 November is the time to ‘Promote Safer Gambling Week’. It is an event that started in 2017 helping players gamble more responsibly. (Photo by Apolo Photographer on Unsplash)
The Betting and Gaming Council has this week issued a statement reconfirming their commitment to safer gambling all year round after the commencement of Safer Gambling Week, which began 1st November and runs all week until the 7th November. This is not only a week for online casino operators to reflect on the casino market but also players who want to know more about gambling responsibly.
Safer Gambling Week is an annual campaign that has been functioning since 2017. It is being supported by the Bingo Association, the BGC and BACTA. It was originally something that began in the UK, but due to media coverage and the interesting topics that arise as well as ideas, it is now viewed by online gambling companies across Europe – many of those companies are also licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) as well as the UK Gambling Commission. And the services offered by the MGA counterparts cover important regions such as Australia, South Africa, India, Ireland, New Zealand, and Canada.
For players at casinos licensed by the MGA and UKGC, casinos now offer responsible gambling software. Many of the casinos we mention in our online casino reviews come with software that allows players to control the way they gamble, while there is now an abundance of links leading players to places they can get help and advice in regards to problem gambling. Responsible gambling can be something as simple as taking a test that gives you a score on how addicted you may be to gambling or the danger of you developing a gambling addiction or problem gambling habits.
Part of the objective to promote safer gambling week is to talk to operators and software providers to get them to make players aware that there is help, resources, and software all readily available. There are also support numbers here for those that want to support the event, find out more, join in, and have their employees join in on the training. See the safer gambling week page here.
Reports Showing that Problem Gambling is Being Reduced
Last week the Gambling Commission released a report showing that through the previous year running up until September 2021, problem gambling was down by 0.3% and players at ‘moderate risk’ of danger was down by 0.5% showing how the regulated industry and campaigns such as Safer Gambling Week are creating a much safer gambling experience for online gamers in the UK. The belief is that this is a trend spread across multiple continents as many of the online casinos operating under the UKGC also hold an MGA license and those operators put the same ‘safer gambling’ principles into action across the entire casino.
Michael Dugher, Chief Executive at the BGC reiterates the industries determination to make gambling safer all year round and went on to say that they recognised that the problem gambling percentages were low but the industries continual push to raise awareness was ever-present and showed the business’ ever-growing standards.
Chris Philp MP, Gambling Minister echoed Dughers comments and also stated that Safer Gambling Week was a perfect opportunity for the industry to unite and further improve the conditions players have in online casinos as well as in on-land based casinos. Philp also stated that their ongoing review of the laws brought by the Gambling Act must ensure that it is catered to the new digital age and offer a balance between players’ freedom to gamble how they wish and keeping those at risk safe.
Safer Gambling Weeks main aim is to raise awareness across the UK of the risks involved in gambling and the pitfalls you may encounter when visiting a brick and mortar casino or online casino. You can attend workshops and training sessions on safer gambling hosted by various companies within the industry.
The main page for safer gambling week targets UK, the Republic of Ireland casino players, and Northern Ireland players, but by no means does the buck stop there. Th
