How did it go? Safer Gambling Week 2024 dissected
Safer Gambling Week is a weeklong push to encourage people in the UK to do one thing. Gamble safely. It’s an independent initiative (though supported by the Betting and Gaming Council, charities, sports clubs, and MPs) and in its 8th year.
While some pressure groups like Gambling With Lives and Clean Up Gambling consider Safer Gambling Week a distraction tactic, on the whole, it’s hugely well supported. Organisations like the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) as well as dozens of MPs regularly sing its praises.
Last year it ran from 18-24 November and achieved some incredible figures.
Key numbers from SGW 2024
If you’re looking at figures alone then SGW 2024 was an exceptional year.
Over 1.5 million unique accounts used a safer gambling tool.
We know that safer gambling tools can help to curb problem gambling and this statistic represents a 22% year-on-year increase. Better still, almost half of the players (47%) setting deposit limits did so for the first time during that week.
14% increase in deposit limits vs the 2023 campaign.
Any increase is a positive one, but deposit limits are particularly helpful to players who chronically overspend.
7.2 million safer gambling messages reach players.
As well as players taking direct action, many of us also had a safer gambling message reach us during SGW 2024. The initiative saw an increase of 10% on the previous year.
60 million impressions across platforms.
The numbers were climbing on social media too. Between X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, there was a 21% jump in impressions from last year.
500,000+ visits to the Safer Gambling Week website.
Although this statistic is a little smaller than some of the others, half a million visits is no mean feat!
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst summed it up:
“Safer Gambling Week has proved its worth once again... These new figures are a testament to its ongoing success, and this industry’s commitment to raising standards.”
What does this mean?
We’re bombarded with facts and figures in the news every day, so it does become easy to overlook the numbers. But we shouldn’t forget that SGW 2024 was an enormous success. The fact that nearly 1 in 15 of the UK’s 22.5 million players took action to limit or manage their play during one week is something to be celebrated.
It’s now clear that if responsible gambling tools are made available and obvious, players will use them. And with half of those players being new users – SGW is achieving both retention and reach.
SGW overview over the years
On the whole, the most vocal are in favour of SGW. Since it launched in 2017 it’s had the support of both the BGC and the UKGC. They praise it for bringing attention to responsible gambling tools, and aiding players in need of help.
Of course, SGW has its critics too. The largest criticism is always that it only lasts a week. This is valid, but there simply isn’t enough money in the pot for a Herculean effort like this to be sustained throughout the whole year. Plus, the statistics show that short as it is, it does make a difference!
SGW 2025
Looking forward to SGW 2025, it’s likely to be in November once more. The 2024 numbers will be a hard act to follow, but SGW has never failed to rise to the challenge.
It will be interesting to see if the focus shifts from responsible gambling tools to something else, or perhaps if some of the 1% levy will be used to boost the profile of SGW even further.
For now, it’s good to know that whether players are setting a deposit limit, taking a time out, or just tracking their spend a bit more closely, SGW has played a part in making us all a little bit more aware of our habits.