Responsible Gambling Week Archives - CasinoBeats https://casinobeats.com/tag/responsible-gambling-week/ The pulse of the global gaming industry Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:04:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://casinobeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Responsible Gambling Week Archives - CasinoBeats https://casinobeats.com/tag/responsible-gambling-week/ 32 32 Rush Street Interactive partners with AGA’s ‘Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly.’ campaign https://casinobeats.com/2021/09/24/rush-street-interactive-partners-with-agas-have-a-game-plan-bet-responsibly-campaign/ Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:00:00 +0000 https://casinobeats.com/?p=55119 As part of Responsible Gaming Education Week, US online casino and sports betting company, Rush Street Interactive, has become the latest partner of the American Gaming Association‘s ‘Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly’ public service campaign. The campaign focuses on educating sports fans about the core principles of responsible sports betting: setting a budget and […]

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As part of Responsible Gaming Education Week, US online casino and sports betting company, Rush Street Interactive, has become the latest partner of the American Gaming Association‘s ‘Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly’ public service campaign.

The campaign focuses on educating sports fans about the core principles of responsible sports betting: setting a budget and sticking to it, keeping betting social, knowing the odds, and playing with trusted, regulated operators.

Through its commitment to the campaign, RSI will integrate Have A Game Plan content into its consumer marketing, employee training, and overall responsible gaming strategy. 

“Responsible gaming is at the core of our business and joining AGA’s Have A Game Plan campaign is an important extension of these efforts,” said Tammi Barlow, RSI director of corporate social responsibility. “It is crucial that our industry prioritises the protection of those who are vulnerable to gambling problems and others affected by their behavior. 

“Through this partnership with AGA, we will continue to provide our players with new, user-friendly tools and resources to wager responsibly, while ensuring our employees are positioned to provide the best possible customer service and care.”  

RSI’s commitment to the campaign follows the company’s recent build out of its compliance and corporate social responsibility function and ongoing deployment of innovative responsible gaming tools within its products, such as its RushPay feature that enables fast, transparent, and non-cancellable withdrawal and refund capabilities. 

“As legal sports betting increases in popularity and availability, the success of the industry relies heavily on educating players about responsible gaming,” added Casey Clark, AGA senior vice president. “We’re proud to have Rush Street Interactive join us in this important endeavor.”

As the market continues to expand, the Have A Game Plan campaign is aligning industry stakeholders behind a consistent responsible gaming message. RSI joins official campaign partners Monumental Sports and Entertainment, NASCAR, New York Jets, NHL, PGA TOUR, SeventySix Capital, Sinclair Broadcast Group, UFC, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Football Team, as well as other gaming operators and suppliers.

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Praesepe initiative ramps up safer gambling messaging https://casinobeats.com/2020/03/09/praesepe-initiative-ramps-up-safer-gambling-messaging/ Mon, 09 Mar 2020 12:20:14 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=28013 Praesepe is utilising its entire estate of digital B3 and category C machines to promote safer gambling, following a review undertaken in December of 2019’s Responsible Gambling Week and analysis of player exit research. The Gauselmann owned operator, which boasts a presence in 160 venues located in 99 towns and cities in the UK, believes […]

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Praesepe is utilising its entire estate of digital B3 and category C machines to promote safer gambling, following a review undertaken in December of 2019’s Responsible Gambling Week and analysis of player exit research.

The Gauselmann owned operator, which boasts a presence in 160 venues located in 99 towns and cities in the UK, believes the new inclusion as part of the initiative will amplify the safer gambling message to huge effect.

Praesepe has confirmed that the suite of messaging developed and agreed by both Bacta and the Bingo Association will be displayed and communicated from over 4,000 of its digital gaming machines. The firm asserts that this makes it “the single biggest AGC supporter of responsible gambling on the British high street”.

Amanda Kiernan, Praesepe’s head of compliance, who also serves as vice chair of Bacta’s social responsibility committee, explained: “We were very impressed by the exit research conducted as part of Responsible Gambling Week in particular the player’s level of engagement with and recall of the messaging.

“As such we have taken the decision to include all of our digital gaming machines, an initiative that will significantly increase visibility and as a result will connect with more players.”

Adding: “This is just part of our social responsibility commitment to customers of both Cashino and Beacon Bingo. While the primary audience is obviously players, the social responsibility messages, which are visible when games are in their attract mode, also acts as a prompt for our customer facing staff, serving as a constant reminder of the SR commitments we expect them to uphold and which are an important part of their training and development. 

“As the research undertaken by the Bingo Association has demonstrated, messaging that is pitched in the right way and expressed appropriately can make a significant difference to the way some at risk players approach and view their gambling.”

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Kindred partners with EFDN to change lives through football https://casinobeats.com/2019/12/11/kindred-partners-with-efdn-to-change-lives-through-football/ Wed, 11 Dec 2019 13:09:18 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=25010 The Kindred Group has become the first community partner of the European Football Development Network, as it aims to promote the power of football as a tool for social development.  Building upon a sponsorship of EFDN’s ‘Active Fans’ programme earlier this year, it follows a pledge made by Kindred to CasinoBeats during Responsible Gambling Week […]

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The Kindred Group has become the first community partner of the European Football Development Network, as it aims to promote the power of football as a tool for social development. 

Building upon a sponsorship of EFDN’s ‘Active Fans’ programme earlier this year, it follows a pledge made by Kindred to CasinoBeats during Responsible Gambling Week 2019 of leveraging the power of sport to improve lives.

EFDN is a network of professional football clubs, leagues and FA’s all over Europe who are committed to their communities and social responsibilities.

Hubert Rovers, CEO of EFDN, explained: “We are proud to present Kindred as our first commercial community partner. There is a natural fit between EFDN and Kindred as we both share the love for football and are leaders in our industries in terms of taking responsibility for the community and in contributing to sustainability. 

“Kindred uses a new sustainability-driven framework for sponsorships and promotes community initiatives through its partnerships with clubs and leagues. At EFDN, we strive to raise the quality and impact of community programmes through knowledge exchange and collaboration.    

“Together with Kindred, we will further develop the social power of football and will not only promote values like fair play and respect, but also education, diversity, social cohesion and physical activity. 

“Through our partnership, we are certain that we can make a long-term contribution to the sustainable development goals and inspire other stakeholders in football to become more sustainable.” 

The new partnership builds upon a focus of being an active participant in local communities through activities that equip them with the knowledge and resources to build a better future.

“We are very proud and excited to be a part of the EFDN network,” states Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group. “We feel that the work EFDN do is very important and aligns well with Kindred values. 

“We truly believe that this will be a successful partnership where we will be able to build great things together. For example, we will share our knowledge and experience by developing and implementing an anti-match fixing programme to the extensive network of EFDN member clubs.”

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Casino upgrades, gambling habits and global growth: The week in numbers https://casinobeats.com/2019/11/11/casino-upgrades-gambling-habits-and-global-growth-the-week-in-numbers/ Mon, 11 Nov 2019 09:00:34 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=23679 Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. In this latest entrant we look at positive UK and Australian impacts, casino developments and upgrades and a survey analysing gambling habits. 2,000 A YouGov survey commissioned by the Industry Group For Responsible Gambling and published ahead of Responsible Gambling Week has questioned more than 2,000 adults about […]

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Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. In this latest entrant we look at positive UK and Australian impacts, casino developments and upgrades and a survey analysing gambling habits.

2,000

YouGov survey commissioned by the Industry Group For Responsible Gambling and published ahead of Responsible Gambling Week has questioned more than 2,000 adults about their gambling habits over the last 12 months.

Reporting its findings, only ten per cent of those surveyed considered themselves to be gamblers despite one in two buying lottery tickets, one in three purchasing scratch cards and nearly one in five betting on sporting events.

YouGov and the IGRG also highlights a perceived distinction people make between softer forms of gambling, which many do not regard as gambling at all, and so-called harder gambling, which they believe may not apply to them.

Playing machine games in arcades was not viewed as gambling by 42 per cent of those questioned, with 40 per cent stating playing in a bingo club does not constitute gambling, nor does playing the lottery (33 per cent) or buying scratch cards (29 per cent).

700

Philadelphia’s $700m Live! Casino and Hotel has held a ‘topping-off’ ceremony, as the region’s new gaming and entertainment destination builds towards a 2020 opening.

Stadium Casino, an affiliate of The Cordish Companies, and Gilbane Building Company marked the significant milestone, as the project is projected to generate in excess of $2bn in economic stimulus for the city.

Executives of each organisation were present as the final commemorative beam, adorned with hundreds of signatures from construction workers, was raised to complete the superstructure.

The 1.5-million-square-foot facility will feature 2,200 slots and electronic table games, more than 150 live action table games, a sportsbook, 12-story 200+ room boutique hotel, restaurants and live entertainment venues, valet parking and a new structured parking facility.

622.4

The Stars Group has lauded growth across its Australia and UK segments, as well as “rapid progress” across its US interests, as a third quarter financial performance comes in line with company expectations.

Group revenue increased 8.8 per cent to $622.4m (2018: $571.9m), driven by strong underlying trends in customer activity and revenues across the UK and Australia.

During the quarter, online sports betting was The Stars Group’s largest product vertical, 35 per cent versus 27.7 per cent in 2018, followed by online casino, 31.3 per cent from 31.6 per cent, and online poker, which dropped to 30.9 per cent (2018: 37.7 per cent).

The UK and Australia rose significantly, with the former posting revenue of $226.9m, 34.8 per cent up from $168.3m, due to a combination of factors including strong operational momentum across the segment’s betting and gaming products and the timing of the acquisition of Sky Betting and Gaming.

An increase of 36.4 per cent from $71.1m to $52.1m was reported in the latter, primarily driven by higher betting net win margin, partially offset by a decrease in stakes, as a result of the 2018 World Cup, and adverse foreign exchange fluctuations.

These offset decreasing revenue in Stars’ international segment, with a slight rise in gaming hampered by a drop in poker and betting, as its total figure reached $325.4m, 7.7 per cent down from $352.4m.

20

Genting UK has completed a multi-million pound refurbishment to its Genting Casino Cromwell Mint property, which has been rebranded as Forty Five Kensington.

The South Kensington venue is aiming to offer customers “a state-of-the-art casino games experience combined with a high-quality dining offering”.

The rebrand to Forty Five Kensington has seen the whole venue given a makeover, with the casino boasting “a stylish gaming environment for customers to enjoy”.

Overlooking the Natural History Museum, the entities main gaming floor has been fully refurbished and new tables have been added, including poker, blackjack and American roulette.

Furthermore, as part of the venue’s makeover the newly expanded e-lounge has welcomed 20 slot machines alongside a number of hydra e-tables.

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Swintt – Entertainment key as igaming becomes more mainstream https://casinobeats.com/2019/11/18/swintt-entertainment-key-as-igaming-becomes-more-mainstream/ Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:40:49 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=23988 Lauded as “the ultimate in-game promotional product,” casino games provider Swintt debuted it widget-based gamification suite earlier this year to target increased and quicker growth across operators target markets. Coming complete with a variety of engagement tools such as tournaments, achievements and cross-game missions, SwinttGamify has the intention of providing a significant boost to player […]

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Lauded as “the ultimate in-game promotional product,” casino games provider Swintt debuted it widget-based gamification suite earlier this year to target increased and quicker growth across operators target markets.

Coming complete with a variety of engagement tools such as tournaments, achievements and cross-game missions, SwinttGamify has the intention of providing a significant boost to player engagement and retention.

Elaborating on the introduction, David Flynn, CEO of Swintt, explained: “The power and flexibility of SwinttGamify to offer both players and operators engaging functions has led to much hype around the product. 

“Within the game window players are in full control of their own achievements and rewards, can access tournaments and, in future, enjoy meta-games built on top of our game infrastructure, which are not available in today’s market.

“From an operator perspective our robust back end offers new insights into player behaviours, trends and activity that can help build more effective CRM strategies. We see the entire SwinttGamify product as a continuously developing force that will become industry leading.”

Gamification tools are becoming increasingly more important industry wide, and Flynn moved on to address how important it is to deliver an offering that goes above and beyond traditional bet and win games: “The modern player has more entertainment options than ever before, so it’s vital to make sure you have a product worthy of their attention. 

“My mission is for Swintt to be the catalyst for this positive change”

“Not only is there fierce competition in the casino lobby and from other verticals, but also from new apps, streaming services and video games, so being able to enhance a slots portfolio through gamification elements helps us to deliver extra entertainment value to our players and remain ahead of the curve.

“As igaming becomes more mainstream, and less VIP focused, entertainment value becomes so much more important. This is what we are aiming to achieve with SwinttGamify.”

Talking in the immediate aftermath of Responsible Gambling Week 2019 Swintt also launched Play-It-Back in 2019, in a bid to partner with global organisations to develop products that allows the firm to give back to communities and the environment to ensure a sustainable future.

“Having spent 16 years in the industry, I felt it was time that I, and the industry as a whole, gave something back to the world around us,” he says. 

“Swintt Play-it-back has been created to help good causes around the world through enjoyable game play. Research shows, I have personally experienced, that giving to charity is generally a one-time event, or series of events based around subscriptions. 

“It’s very difficult however, to see the exact and direct impact that you’re having on your chosen charity or good cause. Through Swintt Play-it-back we aim to change this and ensure that players can see in real-time the positive impact their game-play is having for their chosen good cause.  

“With the global online gambling market GGR predicted to be in excess of £50bn per annum, imagine if a small percentage of this went to good causes. The products we deliver will make a real difference in the world. My mission is for Swintt to be the catalyst for this positive change.”

The players, our customers, are at the heart of this industry”

Adding: “Responsible Gaming should be at the forefront of everything in our industry as we must make sure our players are protected and able to enjoy their leisure time safely. It may only be a small portion of the global player base that have negative experiences, but we need to try and bring that number down to zero. The players, our customers, are at the heart of this industry.”

To conclude Flynn stressed that, after being established for less than 12 month, 2020 is lined up to be instrumental in shaping the future of Swintt: “Since forming the business earlier this year, there is a real momentum behind us, seeing us close off our inaugural calendar year with some more major deals that are testament to the strength of our product suite. We already have a busy schedule for several events this year, where we will constantly try an innovative approach to how we present ourselves. 

“I’m personally working on a number of initiatives to raise further awareness for responsible gaming and who knows, fingers crossed for ‘Rising Star in Casino Innovation’ at the SBC Awards in London, which would be a great way to end 2019 and lead us into 2020 with a bang! As for 2020, this will really be a year where we will see our fledgling company fly and start to make a difference.”

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Kindred – Leveraging the power of sport to improve lives https://casinobeats.com/2019/11/13/kindred-leveraging-the-power-of-sport-to-improve-lives/ Wed, 13 Nov 2019 10:47:22 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=23813 Occupying such an overwhelming part of everyday life worldwide, the role sport can play to influence society on a range of global issues is one often broached by many organisations. Kindred Group is one such example, utilising its brands to spread safer gambling messages across a number of sports, as well as debuting its community […]

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Occupying such an overwhelming part of everyday life worldwide, the role sport can play to influence society on a range of global issues is one often broached by many organisations.

Kindred Group is one such example, utilising its brands to spread safer gambling messages across a number of sports, as well as debuting its community initiative ‘Team Talks’ via 32Red’s Derby County sponsorship.

CasinoBeats spoke to Anna Jein, sustainability manager at Kindred Group, who gave an insight into the inner workings of the initiative: “Sponsors have a unique link to communities, places and people, and therefore a huge opportunity to make a difference. We can help support more than just the club’s performance on the pitch. And that is why we boosted our efforts earlier in 2019. 

“Through our 32Red brand, we launched a new model of football club sponsorship – one that means investing in the local community, as well as the club. Football clubs have a unique ability to leverage the power of football to engage supporters and improve lives. 

“So as part of the renewed terms of our sponsorship deal with Derby County, we announced a significant, yearlong investment in, and partnership with, Derby County’s Community Trust and their ‘Team Talk’ project. 

“Their model – and our investment into the scheme – means DCCT will now reach, and support, hundreds more men across Derby who are struggling with mental health problems through their innovative project.”

Before going on to address how important it is to utilise the power of sport to help drive awareness of a number of key issues, particularly with Responsible Gambling Week currently underway, and continuing this year-round: “We believe sport can be a tool for social development and drive positive change in society.

“Sponsors have a unique link to communities and therefore a huge opportunity to make a difference, and through sponsorships organisations can help support sports clubs to use their power to add value to local communities,” she says.

It is crucial that we as an industry have these tough conversations year-long”

“Our commitment to mental health stretches into horse racing too, where our Unibet brand has invested in the #GoRacingGreen campaign – a fantastic project that helps horse racing be accessible for those suffering from mental health issues. 

“And we have also recently expanded our responsible gambling strategy through our 32Red and Unibet brands in the UK. This initiative means that responsible gambling messages will dominate all matches where two 32Red teams play each other during the 2019/20 season. The initiative was launched during one of the biggest matches in world football – Rangers vs Celtic – where Rangers amended front of shirt logo carried ’32Red: Stay in Control’. 

“By using our assets to cut through effectively with sporting audiences, and promoting healthier gambling behaviour and advocating for control, we can work together with both our customers and wider society to make real progress in ensuring people gamble responsibly.”

Rolling out its responsible gambling messages year-round falls in line with a number of key industry comments during the past week, with Paul Buck, CEO of Epic Risk Management, stating yesterday: “There is really very little value in having RG Week if the initiatives and actions highlighted are not followed through for the following 12 months”.

“We see Responsible Gambling week as a catalyst for what we see now with more and more RG-messaging. It is crucial that we as an industry have these tough conversations year-long,” Jein agrees.

“That is why we at Kindred host the Sustainable Gambling Conference, to gather experts from across the industry under one roof and discuss how we can work together to secure safe gambling and a long-term sustainable industry.

Responsible Gambling Week is a good opportunity to create further awareness and engagement”

“Initiatives like Responsible Gambling week are great ways of boosting communication and extend the safe gambling even further. Much has been said about gambling companies and our involvement in football. But at Kindred we are clear: Gambling companies and the wider industry have an important role to play in tackling problem gambling.

“Responsible Gambling Week is a good opportunity to create further awareness and engagement in the tools that are available to help customers stay in control. Responsible gambling is a very important part of our sustainability framework and has been an important part of our business from the very beginning.

“The key message from the industry towards the players must be that gambling should always be fun and a form of entertainment. It is also important that the players know that we offer a variety of tools to help ensure you only spend the time and money you can afford.”

Before concluding by stressing how a previously addressed conference emphasised the need to continue to increase the level of cross-industry collaboration in tackling problem gambling: “We have hosted the Sustainable Gambling Conference four years in a row now, and one of the key takeaways from this conference is that collaboration is one of the most important factors to prevent problem gambling. 

“We know from working with researchers that it adds significant value when operators and researchers work closely together and share information. At this year’s conference, we had invited a broad range of partners to extend the discussion on how the gambling industry can add value to society, and we heard from a range of organisations and NGOs who work with the gambling industry.”

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Responsible Gambling Week to trigger national conversation https://casinobeats.com/2019/10/01/responsible-gambling-week-to-trigger-national-conversation/ Tue, 01 Oct 2019 14:45:23 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=21918 The gambling industry is to come together later this year to stage the biggest ever campaign to promote safer gambling in the UK and Ireland, led by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling. The public face for the year-round commitment sees Responsible Gambling Week held Thursday 7 – Wednesday 13, 2019, with an objective set […]

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The gambling industry is to come together later this year to stage the biggest ever campaign to promote safer gambling in the UK and Ireland, led by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling.

The public face for the year-round commitment sees Responsible Gambling Week held Thursday 7 – Wednesday 13, 2019, with an objective set of highlighting the tools and advice and help available to customers, as well as the initiatives being taken by operators to promote social responsibility.

In the UK, the IGRG will spearhead the campaign while the Irish element of the campaign will be led by the Irish Bookmakers Association. The duo will focus upon delivering information on the initiatives that are available to customers.

Neil McArthur, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, explained: “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”.

In excess of 120,000 staff at thousands of gambling venues and online sites are to take part in this year’s Responsible Gambling Week, with machine operators and pubs across the country also set to promote relevant messages.

During the week staff from across the entire industry, including arcades, bingo clubs, bookmakers and casinos, will be empowered to initiate conversations with customers about safer gambling, with messaging to be prominently displayed at all venues. 

“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,” states John Hagan, chairman of the IGRG

“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”.

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GamCare and YGAM outline RG Week support with free workshops https://casinobeats.com/2019/11/01/gamcare-and-ygam-outline-rg-week-support-with-free-workshops/ Fri, 01 Nov 2019 10:10:35 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=23314 GamCare and The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust have joined forces to offer free gambling awareness workshops and training, in support of Responsible Gambling Week 2019. Getting underway on Thursday 7 – Wednesday 13 November, both parties stress an ambition of broadening the conversation around safer gambling.  “Safer gambling is a key message for […]

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GamCare and The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust have joined forces to offer free gambling awareness workshops and training, in support of Responsible Gambling Week 2019.

Getting underway on Thursday 7 – Wednesday 13 November, both parties stress an ambition of broadening the conversation around safer gambling. 

“Safer gambling is a key message for GamCare, which we hope to encourage in our RG Week sessions,” explains Anna Hemmings, chief executive officer at GamCare. “Our youth-outreach programme, BigDeal, is dedicated to educating young people and youth-facing professionals about gambling related harm.

“Our work with young people encourages informed choices, understanding of risk and knowledge of where to get support. RG Week provides a platform to promote our existing work to a wider audience.”

GamCare and YGAM, which offer a range of training and workshops throughout the year as part of their education and youth outreach programmes, are to tailor offerings to provide  guidance on how to start conversations with young people who may be at risk

Carly Boyt, head of marketing and communications for YGAM, commented: “We have been running YGAM workshops for the past five years to help inform, educate and safeguard young people by providing information and resources around safer gambling. 

“RG Week is a great opportunity to not only highlight YGAM’s workshops but for organisations and charities to come together to help amplify the messages around safer gambling.”

It’s hoped that the programmes to be offered and to provide participants with confidence to have honest conversations with young people about gambling, knowledge to recognise the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of a gambling issue and resources to advise where to seek help if they identify someone who needs it. 

John Hagan, chairman of the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling, added: “We are delighted that GamCare and YGAM are supporting Responsible Gambling Week by offering these important training and briefing sessions during the campaign.  

“Supporting conversations about what it means to gamble responsibly is central to the gambling industry’s approach all-year round, and during Responsible Gambling Week we are proud to work with the collective networks, venues and staff of all gambling sectors, and our digital channels, to provide resources, reach a wider audience, and raise awareness.”

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Wes Himes – Utilising RG Week to drive industry standards https://casinobeats.com/2019/11/05/wes-himes-utilising-rg-week-to-drive-industry-standards/ Tue, 05 Nov 2019 09:33:52 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=23414 Responsible Gambling Week gets underway this week, the public face for the year-round cross-industry initiative to promote safer gambling in the United Kingdom and Ireland Being held from Thursday 7 – Wednesday 13, 2019, an objective was set earlier this year of highlighting the tools and advice and help available to customers, as well as […]

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Responsible Gambling Week gets underway this week, the public face for the year-round cross-industry initiative to promote safer gambling in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Being held from Thursday 7 – Wednesday 13, 2019, an objective was set earlier this year of highlighting the tools and advice and help available to customers, as well as the initiatives being taken by operators to promote social responsibility.

In the UK, the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling will spearhead the campaign while the Irish element will be led by the Irish Bookmakers Association. The duo will focus upon delivering information on the initiatives that are available to customers.

Ahead of 2019’s efforts getting underway CasinoBeats spoke to Wes Himes, interim CEO of The Betting and Gaming Council and member of The Industry Group For Responsible Gambling, who first addressed growth since inception “Responsible Gambling Week was launched by bookmakers in 2015, since then it has grown into the first industry-wide campaign of its kind,” he says. 

“It now brings together all five sectors, speaking with one voice to promote responsible gambling, and it’s hard to overstate the significance of that. Expectations were quite modest to start with, but the campaign was a success and that gave operators the confidence to get behind it. 

“Last year we saw a step-change in involvement from operators and the Irish industry joined the campaign for the first time, which was significant because many players in Ireland are gambling with companies licensed and regulated in the UK. 

“We also received support from organisations outside the industry, such as football clubs and racecourses. That allowed us to broaden the conversation about safer gambling, which is one of the key objectives of the campaign. 

“More than 120,000 staff at more than 10,000 venues in the UK and Ireland will be involved”

“The #RGWeek18 hashtag generated nearly 20 million impressions, compared to around seven million in 2017, and that shows how the campaign gathered momentum.”

Before moving on to detail what engagement can be expected throughout the region from large organisations to small teams and private companies: “More than 120,000 staff at more than 10,000 venues in the UK and Ireland, and on online sites, will be involved in Responsible Gambling Week and the conversations they have with customers are at the heart of the campaign.

“Every organisation can get involved, from the biggest to the very smallest – indeed some of the smaller companies may have the closest relationships with their customers.

“It has been encouraging to see the initiatives planned by staff at some venues, including sponsored fundraising events or simple invitations to take a break and chat over tea or coffee. 

“All operators have made minimum commitments to support the campaign – for example, sharing content on their social media channels – but some are making significant contributions over and above this by donating advertising space on LED screens and perimeter boards at football grounds or in match programmes. 

“Others have donated digital rights or print advertising space. Bookmakers are allowing ‘takeovers’ of their windows, giving the campaign real visibility on the high street.”

Accompanied by the message ‘Let’s talk about safer gambling,’ the campaign across the UK and Ireland unites the industry and beyond to focus on what part they can play to make gambling safer and reduce gambling harms, and provides a window into efforts made throughout the year.

The input of organisations outside the industry helps us reach new audiences, that is important”

“Responsible Gambling Week is the public face of the work the industry is doing all-year round to promote safer gambling, it is not a one-off event,” Himes stressed. 

“Operators are spending more time focusing on player protection, improving policies and procedures, investing in staff training and new technology and that is happening throughout the year.

“Responsible Gambling Week focuses primarily on tools, advice and information to help players understand how to gamble responsibly, but it is a collaboration between operators and their customers, not a monologue. 

“Conversations between staff and customers are an important part of that process and, by investing in training for their staff, operators are empowering them to engage pro-actively with customers. That will, of course, continue to happen once the week is over.

“This year, we have launched a new website www.responsiblegamblinguk.org It is a safer gambling information hub, which includes tips, advice, tools and details of training courses. We want to drive traffic to the site all-year round.”

Himes also moves on to emphasise the importance of impacts set to be made by organisations outside of the gambling industry: “The input of organisations outside the industry helps us reach new audiences; that is important because we want the campaign messages, such as setting time and budget limits and taking breaks from playing, to be aimed at everyone, not just our core customer base. 

“For example, The English Football League, which represents all 72 clubs outside the Premier League, is supporting the campaign and those clubs reach tens of millions of supporters through their social media channels. 

Cross-industry collaboration and knowledge sharing is increasingly important”

“The Racecourse Association is another supporter and all 59 racecourses across the UK will be sharing our videos and other content on their channels, whilst Aintree, Cheltenham and Doncaster will have high-profile Responsible Gambling Week branding at meetings during the week.

“This year, the campaign will also have a presence in pubs for the first time. Punch and Co is distributing leaflets, beer mats and other collateral to all 1,300 pubs in their portfolio and that is another way of extending the conversation beyond the industry. 

“In the charity sector, Citizens Advice is involved in the campaign for the first time and responsible gambling literature will be distributed throughout its network of regional hubs which specialise in helping people who have a problem with their gambling. 

“Gambling charities GamCare and YGAM are offering free places on training courses and workshops as part of their education and youth outreach programmes. They are tailored to provide guidance on how to start conversations with young people who may be at risk.”

Concluding by commenting on an increasing level of cross-industry collaboration in ensuring responsible gambling protocols become even more strengthened: “Cross-industry collaboration and knowledge sharing is increasingly important.

“By working together, operators from across the different sectors can share best practice – whether it concerns self-exclusion schemes or trialling algorithms to identify players who might be at risk – and that will lead to improved standards across the industry.”

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YouGov and IGRG question 2,000 on gambling habits https://casinobeats.com/2019/11/06/yougov-and-igrg-question-2000-on-gambling-habits/ Wed, 06 Nov 2019 11:45:49 +0000 http://casinobeats.com/?p=23507 A YouGov survey commissioned by the Industry Group For Responsible Gambling and published ahead of Responsible Gambling Week has questioned more than 2,000 adults about their gambling habits over the last 12 months. Reporting its findings, only ten per cent of those surveyed considered themselves to be gamblers despite one in two buying lottery tickets, […]

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A YouGov survey commissioned by the Industry Group For Responsible Gambling and published ahead of Responsible Gambling Week has questioned more than 2,000 adults about their gambling habits over the last 12 months.

Reporting its findings, only ten per cent of those surveyed considered themselves to be gamblers despite one in two buying lottery tickets, one in three purchasing scratch cards and nearly one in five betting on sporting events.

YouGov and the IGRG also highlights a perceived distinction people make between softer forms of gambling, which many do not regard as gambling at all, and so-called harder gambling, which they believe may not apply to them.

Playing machine games in arcades was not viewed as gambling by 42 per cent of those questioned, with 40 per cent stating playing in a bingo club does not constitute gambling, nor does playing the lottery (33 per cent) or buying scratch cards (29 per cent). 

The poll also reported that customers expect to receive information about safer gambling from operators, with 35 per cent saying they would find it most useful to be given information when they register to play or begin playing.

In addition, 25 per cent want information to be signposted while playing and 20 per cent say it would would be most useful to be contacted directly by operators by email or telephone, 15 per cent of customers however believe receiving information from family or friends would be most beneficial.

Further findings saw 77 per cent of people believe they have enough information to gamble safely and responsibly, but strong support remains for a public education campaign to promote safe gambling. 

Six out of ten (59 per cent) believe it is as important, or more important, than a campaign to promote responsible drinking; or active lifestyles (55 per cent), a smoke-free environment (55 per cent), safe sex (54 per cent) and healthy eating (53 per cent). More than half (53 per cent) are said to be unaware of a campaign to promote safer gambling.

The poll also gave an insight into the safer gambling messages people found most relevant to them:

  • Only spend what you can afford – 55 per cent
  • Set your limits – 40 per cent
  • Never chase your losses – 39 per cent
  • Gambling is not the answer to any problem – 36 per cent
  • Gambling shouldn’t interfere with personal relationships – 32 per cent
  • Gambling when angry or upset is not a good idea – 30 per cent

John Hagan, chair of the IGRG, explained: “This research highlights the importance of educating everyone about the importance of safer gambling, including those who think the messages do not apply to them. 

“Every problem gambler is someone who once thought they didn’t have a problem. Most people gamble responsibly and purely for enjoyment, but we want safer gambling messages, such as setting time limits or spending limits, to become as instinctive as putting on a seatbelt when you get into your car.

“Promoting safer gambling is a year-round responsibility, which operators and their staff take very seriously. The poll shows there is strong support for a public education campaign and the objective of Responsible Gambling Week is to educate people about safer gambling, but the campaign is just one aspect of the work being done by the industry throughout the year to protect its customers”.

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