Gambling Commission CEO: Time to update ‘When the Fun Stops’
Neil McArthur says the responsible gambling message is in danger of becoming “background noise”
Gambling Commission CEO Neil McArthur has called for the industry to update its ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ responsible gambling message, warning the slogan risks becoming “background noise”.
Speaking at Sky Betting & Gaming’s headquarters in Leeds yesterday, McArthur applauded operators’ support of the message but added: “I still think the industry could do better.”
McArthur added: “All brands need refreshing from time to time or they risk becoming seen as behind the times or just background noise.
“Perhaps now is the time to update “When the Fun Stops” to demonstrate that both the industry and public expectation has moved on from when it was first launched”.
The exec said a new message would ideally contain more information on the risks of gambling and options available to customers if they are worried about their gambling.
“Stopping is part of the solution, but sometimes people cannot stop and need help. The current messaging doesn’t directly address that issue,” McArthur added.
The campaign as originally created by the Senet Group, which counts Ladbrokes Coral, Sky Bet, William Hill, and Paddy Power Betfair among its funders.
Earlier this month the Senet Group released a video hailing the impact of its messaging, claiming ‘When the Fun Stops’ had reached an estimated 82% of regular UK gamblers, with 33%, or indicative around 5 million adults, confirming that it has helped them gamble more responsibly.
In the same speech, McArthur also called on the industry to “up its game” when it comes to harm minimisation, warning he would be open to statutory levy to fund problem gambling treatment, if more effort and funds were allocated to the issue voluntarily.
On problem gambling rates he added: “Stable statistics are not, in my view, a good news story. I want to see problem gambling rates reduce.
We want to stimulate a culture of innovating, trialling and evaluating different measures to identify what works best to protect consumers and we want to see the industry coming together to collaborate, learn from each other and tell us what you are doing to protect your customers.