Industry pulls together for Responsible Gambling Week

For the first time ever, the gambling industry in Great Britain is coming together to support the launch of Responsible Gambling Week. This national, cross-industry awareness campaign will run from 12^th – 18^th October 2017 and will aim to get everyone talking about what it means to gamble responsibly.

Responsible Gambling Week, which is led by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG), will see every sector of the gambling industry in GB taking part (arcades, bingo clubs, bookmakers, casinos and online). This means that over 10,000 gambling venues and online sites and 121,000 employees are set to take part in the biggest ever pan-industry social responsibility campaign.

Sir Christopher Kelly, Chair of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board, said: “Public engagement is one of the twelve priority actions identified in the National Responsible Gambling Strategy. We need to learn from the experience of consumers and their families, and to use this to make gambling safer. So I welcome the theme of IGRG’s Responsible Gambling Week “let’s talk about responsible gambling.”

“Let’s make sure we learn as much as we can from it.”

John Hagan, Chairman of the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling, said: “Social responsibility is fundamental to the gambling industry’s approach, and we are all dedicated, year-round, to promoting responsible gambling. But what makes this week so special is the whole industry coming together and being vocal about social responsibility – coordinating and sharing the same messages to secure maximum impact.

“We want to spark more conversations across all media and in the retail and online environments. Informed and engaging conversations between operators and their customers, amongst customers and between customers and their friends and families about what it means to gamble responsibly. The industry will also be raising awareness of what tools are available to help people gamble responsibly, and will be sharing information on how to access help and support, for those who need it.

“Having the whole industry behind Responsible Gambling Week is essential to its success, and we have operators across Great Britain and across all gambling activities taking part. Their full support and involvement is what will make this exciting initiative worthwhile. It is what will help us reach more people than ever before.”

 Te project has been developed on the core theme of “Let’s Talk About Responsible Gambling”, with GambleAware and GamCare wanting all industry stakeholders to have open dialogues on ‘what it means to be responsible in gambling?’

“We want to raise awareness amongst customers and the wider public about how to gamble responsibly, the tools that are available to keep gambling safe and fun, and where anyone can find help and support for those who need it.”

In order to help drive the message of ‘responsible play’, GambleAware and GamCare industry partners will be leading a number of initiatives during the week, including:

• Posters, leaflets, banners and other information points about Responsible Gambling Week are being rolled out across the country in gambling venues, on industry websites and on social media channels, encouraging conversations about gambling responsibly
• The industry is working with GamCare and its partners to establish dedicated information points around the UK that will be available to the general public throughout the week
• Staff at gambling venues and online sites will continue to be points of contact for their customers on how to gamble responsibly
• Our partners GambleAware and GamCare will also be raising awareness about responsible gambling through their websites and communication channels
• Online chatrooms and interactive Q&A sessions on social media through dedicated Twitter and Facebook accounts will help to engage discussions about responsible gambling more broadly
• An event will be held in Parliament to help brief politicians on what it means to gamble responsibly and what they can do to share the message with their constituents

Industry stakeholders wanting to take part in first ‘Responsible Gambling Week’ should contact [email protected]