First Responsible Gambling Week – A Success?

First Responsible Gambling Week – A Success? ( Click to Enlarge )

As we reflect on the very first Responsible Gambling Week 2018, which ran from November 1st – 7th, we thought it would be a good time to consider what the gambling industry has done to promote responsible gambling behaviours in light of this occasion.

IGRG Initiative

This was the first ever Responsible Gambling week, which was announced back in June by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG).

The headline of the week was ‘Let’s Talk About Responsible Gambling.‘ All sectors of the gambling industry have joint together to encourage the wider public, customers, and staff to talk about what it means to gamble responsibly. This includes casinos, bookmakers, bingo clubs, amusement arcades, and online platforms.

You may have noticed that there have been more television adverts about responsible gambling throughout the week, especially from Sky.

If you have signed up to your favourite online casinos’ newsletters, you will probably have noticed a few more pop up in your inbox regarding responsible gambling. But what else has been done?

Sporting Organisations Spread Message

Well, a number of football clubs announced their support for Responsible Gambling Week.

Derby County showed messages on the big screen and advertising boards during their match on Saturday against Birmingham City. Swansea City showed their support by wearing a special edition shirt with the RGW logo on the front, instead of their usual BET UK sponsor.

A lot of casinos and bookmakers have also dedicated their time to providing promotional materials that cover the following:

– Provide details of how and where to acquire more information and help if needed
– Highlight the five key behaviours of responsible gambling
– Ask questions about gambling behaviour

There have been a number of banners, leaflets, and posters that have been displayed at venues around the country. Online gambling websites have done their bit with pop-ups and banner ads, as well as promoting awareness via Facebook and Twitter. Online Q&A sessions have also been available with experts from across the gambling industry.

This merely scratches the surface of what has been done to promote Responsible Gambling Week. Awareness of gambling responsibly is an on-going task, but this past week looked to focus many people’s minds and worked very well. We look forward to 2019.

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