The year’s Responsible Gambling Week will see the industry come together to stage the largest ever campaign to promote safer gambling practices in the UK and Ireland.
Responsible Gambling Week 2019, which takes place from 7-13 November, will once more be the public face of the industry’s year-round commitment to safer gambling.
More than 120,000 staff across thousands of gambling venues and online sites are taking part this year, with machine and site operators also showing their support by opening their networks to promote responsible gambling messages.
A UK summit ‘Building a safer gambling industry’, hosted by ERG in association with Responsible Gambling Week, will take place on 7 November at Twickenham Rugby Stadium, bringing together leading online gaming operators, affiliates, regulators and the wider gaming community to discuss safer gambling strategies.
John Hagan, chairman of the IGRG, said: “We are confident that Responsible Gambling Week, now in its third year, will be our biggest campaign yet, but this is not just about one week in the year, it is about promoting safer gambling all year round. We want to make this an open and inclusive conversation, connecting with the widest possible audience, including those who do not think messages about responsible gambling are aimed at them. We want to take the message about safer gambling even further this year, through our own social channels, with the support of our partners inside the industry and beyond.”
During Responsible Gambling Week, staff from across the entire industry, including arcades, bingo clubs, bookmakers and casinos, will be look to initiate conversations with customers about safer gambling and messaging will be prominently displayed at venues.
Official supporters of the event include; Punch Pubs, which will be rolling out messages across 1,300 pubs; The English Football League and Skybet, which will promote the message on match days and through relevant channels; A number of leading machine manufacturers including Astra Games, Reflex and Inspired Gaming and Scientific Gaming.
Neil McArthur, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “The week’s strapline, ‘Let’s talk about safer gambling’, is an important message not only for customers but also for the staff and industry leaders whose role is to look out for their customers. It provides an opportunity for people across the gambling industry, no matter what their role is, to focus on what part they can play to make gambling safer and reduce gambling harms.”
A new website, which goes live in October, will also act as an information hub, providing a comprehensive one-stop service for consumers all year round, educating them about all aspects of responsible gambling. Operators will also be able to use the site as a one stop shop to download useful materials.
The responsible gambling information hub has been developed in conjunction with campaign partner GamCare, and the charity is running training courses during Responsible Gambling Week in London, Glasgow, Sunderland and Bath for professionals working with young people.
Anna Hemmings, chief executive of GamCare, said: “Safer gambling is a key priority for GamCare, and we are pleased to support initiatives that promote and extend safer gambling messaging, such as RG Week.
“In particular, we are delighted to be offering training to youth-facing professionals through our national youth education programme: BigDeal. This focusses on delivering education to young people directly, as well as the youth workforce to promote more informed choices about gambling behavior and an understanding of the potential for harm. As usual, if anyone has any concerns about their gambling, they will be able to get in touch with us at any time for help and support via the National Gambling Helpline.”
This article was originally published on www.coinslot.co.uk
