Safer Gambling Week: Raising the stakes on responsible play
As Safer Gambling Week approaches (18-24 November 2024), the conversation about gambling and its potential harm takes centre stage in the UK.
Gambling is a long-established form of entertainment in an industry worth over £15 billion annually. It takes many forms.
Yet, for some, online betting has the potential to spiral out of control and can lead to problems and ultimately, addiction.
Safer Gambling Week is an annual awareness campaign developed by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). It addresses the growing concern of gambling issues and raises awareness around responsible and problem gambling in the UK.
This article explores the history, purpose, and effectiveness of Safer Gambling Week, its promotion strategies, and broader efforts within the UK to mitigate the harm caused by gambling.
The origins and evolution of Safer Gambling Week
Safer Gambling Week launched in 2017 as an industry-wide initiative to raise awareness about responsible gambling. It evolved from previous campaigns such as Responsible Gambling Week, which started in 2013.
The campaign has grown under the BGC’s leadership in recent years. In its early years, the Safer Gambling campaign primarily focused on engaging with regular gamblers and encouraging them to use available tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion schemes.
Expanded audience
However, the initiative has expanded to reach a wider target audience. As a result, gamblers alone aren’t a target, but friends and family who may be impacted second-hand by gambling addiction are also a focus. Professionals working in the industry, who may encounter problem gambling in their work, are also included in the discussions.
Industry growth and impacts
The gambling industry in the UK has grown significantly in recent years, driven largely by online gambling – now a prominent contributor to the digital economy.
According to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), around 48% of the UK’s adult population participated in some form of gambling in a 4-week period in mid-2024. This is a small increase on previous years, as the UK continues to be one of the largest regulated gambling markets globally.
Cause for concern
However, alongside the rise in participation, problem gambling rates have also been a cause for concern. The UKGC also reported that 1 in 40 UK adults are classified as problem gamblers, while another 3.8% are considered at risk of developing a gambling problem.
Despite these alarming figures, gambling remains a legal and heavily regulated activity. Ultimately, it generates significant tax revenue and provides entertainment for millions – as well as employment for over 100,000 people in the UK. With this in mind, Safer Gambling Week and similar initiatives aim to strike a balance between reducing the harm associated with gambling and ensuring that the industry can continue to operate responsibly.
How is Safer Gambling Week promoted?
Safer Gambling Week uses a multi-channel approach to reach its audience. Overall, it incorporates social media campaigns, in-store signage at betting shops and casinos, online advertisements, and partnerships with various media outlets. Gambling operators are also required to promote the campaign heavily.
One of the campaign’s key strategies is collaboration with influencers, celebrities, and sports organisations. This high-profile approach helps to broaden the appeal. Football clubs, in particular, play a significant role in promoting the initiative, using their platforms to reach millions of fans. In 2023 Safer Gambling Week, Premier League teams West Ham and Brighton supported the initiative, while Blackpool displayed a Safer Gambling Week logo during a League One match.
Ultimately, utilising the voices of celebrities and trusted community sports clubs helps to broaden the social appeal and open discussions to a cross-section of society. Reportedly, such expansion and use of trusted people and teams led to “record numbers for both impressions and website visits” for the Safer Gambling scheme.
Prominent gambling support initiatives in the UK
Safer Gambling Week is one of the most well-known campaigns for responsible gambling. However other organisations contribute to supporting UK gamblers online.
Several organisations and regulatory bodies play a crucial role in addressing problem gambling in the UK, including:
- GambleAware: A charity that funds research, education, and treatment for gambling harm. GambleAware works closely with the NHS and other organisations to offer support services for those affected by problem gambling. Their "Bet Regret" campaign, aimed at reducing impulsive betting among young UK gamblers (aged 18-44., has garnered national attention and supported the broader effort to promote safer gambling.
- GamCare: Runs the National Gambling Helpline providing free counselling for individuals struggling with gambling addiction. The organisation also offers training programs for businesses and communities to help them identify and respond to gambling-related harm.
- The Gambling Commission (UKGC): Enforces licensing conditions and has introduced many measures designed to protect consumers. These include affordability checks, cooling-off periods, and stringent advertising restrictions.
There's no doubt that support for problem gamblers is growing and becoming more easily accessible.
Measuring the impact: Is Safer Gambling Week effective?
Safer Gambling Week has made strides in raising awareness about problem gambling. But its overall effectiveness is still a matter for debate.
According to the Betting and Gaming Council, the 2023 campaign saw operators report a 12% increase in the use of deposit limits during the campaign period. In addition, there has been a steady rise in the number of individuals reaching out to support services like the National Gambling Helpline during and after the campaign.
Despite these positive indicators, critics argue that Safer Gambling Week does not go far enough in addressing the root causes of problem gambling. Some experts believe that the campaign is too industry-driven with a focus on maintaining the status quo rather than enacting meaningful change.
Critcism
In 2023, for example, several prominent figures, including Members of Parliament and gambling harm charities, criticised the campaign. Gambling With Lives, an anti-gambling lobby called it a “cringe campaign”. Christian Action and Education (CARE) also questioned the motives of the Safer Gambling campaign and labelled it a “PR stunt” by gambling companies. In response, the BGC’s chair, Bridget Simmons, issued a robust retort to the critics.
Recent regulatory efforts: UKGC initiatives and industry reactions
In recent years, the UKGC has introduced several initiatives aimed at reducing gambling-related harm. Among these are proposals for maximum stake limits on online slot machines and enhanced affordability checks to ensure that individuals are gambling within their means.
The introduction of affordability checks, in particular, has been met with mixed reactions, with some praising the initiative as a necessary step to protect vulnerable consumers. Others argue that it infringes on personal freedoms and could drive gamblers toward unregulated black markets.
Furthermore, the UKGC's enforcement of stricter advertising guidelines and requirements for operators to prominently display safer gambling messages during sporting events has led to a noticeable shift in the way gambling is marketed.
Operators must devote a certain percentage of their advertising budget to promoting safer gambling. This has somewhat helped to normalise discussions around responsible gambling within the industry.
Safer Gambling Week reaction
Like many public awareness campaigns, Safer Gambling Week has its pros and cons.
Strengths
It has helped to increase awareness about problem gambling and the availability of tools and services designed to mitigate harm. The campaign's collaborative approach, involving operators, regulators, charities, and sports organisations, ensures that its message reaches a wide audience too. Additionally, the use of high-profile figures and social media has modernised the conversation around responsible gambling, making it more accessible to younger generations.
Weaknesses
However, there are legitimate criticisms to consider. Safer Gambling Week’s industry-led nature raises questions about its ability to effect meaningful change. While operators promote responsible gambling during the campaign, their business models still rely heavily on attracting regular gamblers, some of whom may be at risk. Critics argue that the week-long focus on safer gambling is not enough to combat what is, for many, a year-round issue. Therefore, it could be argued that the scheme must run indefinitely and not just for a token week.
Conclusion: Striking the right balance
Safer Gambling Week is a commendable initiative that shines a spotlight on an issue of growing concern in the UK. While it has contributed to raising awareness and encouraging individuals to engage with responsible gambling tools, there is still much work to be done to address the underlying causes of problem gambling.
The UK's regulatory landscape is evolving, with the UKGC taking important steps to protect consumers constantly. But more comprehensive and sustained efforts are needed from both industry and regulators.
As the gambling sector continues to grow, striking a balance between promoting entertainment and safeguarding the vulnerable will remain a delicate challenge. Safer Gambling Week plays an important role in this ongoing conversation. However, its impact must be measured not just by the numbers during the campaign, but by long-term reductions in problem gambling across the country over a sustained period rather than a week.