Responsible Gambling Week will be rebranded as Safer Gambling Week from 2020 onwards, it has been revealed. 

Taking place between 19th and 25th November, this year’s tagline will be “let’s talk about safer gambling”. 

The initiative is driven by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), Bingo Association (BA) and the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA). 

Last year’s Responsible Gambling Week was a major hit, acquiring tens of millions of impressions on social media alone. 

 

Appealing to the masses 

Responsible Gaming Week was given a rebrand to reflect how the initiative has evolved since it was initially launched in 2017. 

BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher had the following to say about this year’s event. 

“Safer Gambling Week is a fantastic initiative which the BGC are proud to play a leading role in.

“This awareness campaign is now in its fourth year and it has achieved a significant increase in engagement at all levels on the tools and support available to customers. 

“We achieved over 25 million impressions on social media in 2019, setting a new benchmark for the campaign, which demonstrates its breadth and reach.”

Making players aware of their choices 

For this year’s campaign, a number of materials will be produced to promote safer gambling. Included in this are web banners, content for social media, posters and contact cards. 

There will be a range of six key messages displayed, which are below. 

  • Ask yourself… have you carried on past your spending limit?
  • Just a heads-up… it’s good to set yourself limits. 
  • Just a heads-up… it’s easy to lose track of time when gambling. 
  • Play smart… know when to stop. 
  • Remember… friends and family are more important than gambling. 
  • Remember… gambling is not a way to make money. 

Artwork and other assets for online and social media use will soon be available to download via the Safer Gambling Week website. 

Bingo Association Chief Executive Miles Baron also spoke about Safer Gambling 2020, highlighting how important it is to his specific industry as well as broader gambling.

“Safer Gambling Week is an important part of the bingo industry’s commitment to social responsibility and provides a useful focal point for highlighting activity and support that is available throughout the year. 

“As businesses with venues, the sector recognises the important opportunity we have to promote safer gambling messages and engage directly with customers.”

Getting others involved

Safer Gambling Week aims to not just provide advice and content related to player safety, but also wants to enable people to “start a conversation about safer gambling” with their friends and family. 

The BGC has already made strides to protect players during the COVID-19 lockdown, introducing a 10-pledge action plan amongst other things. 

Dugher continued by speaking about both this and the future. 

“During the COVID-19 outbreak, we have published a 10-pledge action plan to promote safer gambling, while our members also voluntarily agreed to remove TV and radio gaming advertising, replacing their slots with safer gambling messages or donating them to charity. 

“As businesses emerge from lockdown, I’m looking forward to this year’s Safer Gambling Week being a tremendous success.”