SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The board of trustees of GamCare has announced that the Safer Gambling Standard will be revised to work under a new structure outside of the gambling treatment, support, and intervention charity.
GamCare trustees detailed that the decision had been taken in December 2023, instructing the charity’s leadership team to undertake a strategic review of the Safer Gambling Standard, with recommendations to be announced in due course.
The Safer Gambling Standard is an independent quality standard accredited by UKAS, charged with evaluating the protection measures UK licensed gambling operators have in place to protect consumers from experiencing gambling-related harm.
Recent developments have seen the Safer Gambling Standard raise concerns about the player protection deficiencies outlined by the £6m regulatory fine imposed on the online gambling operator Gamesys.
Gamesys remains under review to see whether there have been any breaches of the Safer Gambling Standard requirements.
The standard requires all operators to provide accurate, up-to-date information, including on regulatory investigations, in line with their licensing duties. GamCare will release the findings of the Gamesys review in the coming month.
Stakeholders were informed: “Our core focus at GamCare will continue to be the provision of high-quality, accessible support to the thousands of people who come through our services each year, both to those who are struggling with gambling directly and to those who are affected by someone else’s gambling.”
“All of GamCare’s work is focused on the reduction of gambling harms, as it has been for 26 years.”
Last month, GamCare declared that it had recorded the busiest year for the National Gambling Helpline services, which registered a total of 52,370 calls and online chats, registering a 24% increase compared to the year prior.
