UK gambling heavyweights make safer gambling pledge alongside launch of Betting and Gaming Council
New industry trade body unveils set of responsible gambling measures in the wake of calls for online slots limit
Ten of the UK’s biggest gambling firms, including bet365, GVC and William Hill, have announced a package of five safer gambling commitments aimed at addressing gambling related harms in the UK.
The commitments come as part of the formal launch of the Betting and Gaming Council, which replaces the Remote Gambling Association and the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) first announced earlier this year.
Commitments made include the prevention of underage gambling, increased support for treatment of gambling-related harm, the strengthening of existing codes of practice for advertising, increased consumer protection and the promotion of a culture of safer gambling.
Operators signing up to these commitments include bet365, Flutter Entertainment, GVC, Playtech, Rank, Sky Betting & Gaming and William Hill, together with land-based operators Aspers, Caesars and Genting Group.
Peter Jackson, CEO of Flutter Entertainment, said these commitments were an “important step forward” for the sector and signalled a genuine desire by firms to ensure acting responsibly was at the heart of their businesses.
Brigid Simmonds, chair of the Betting and Gaming Council, welcomed the commitments made, calling them a “major step” towards preventing underage gambling and addressing harm.
“Working together as an industry we will create a culture of safer gambling – increasing the competency of professionals who educate young people, increasing support for treatment, strengthening and expanding codes of practice and empowering consumers.
“These are commitments that the BGC will champion and drive forward to build public and institutional trust in our industry,” Simmonds added.
CEOs of ten UK gambling firms have signed up to enforce these safer gambling committments
As part of its prevention of underage gambling commitment, the operators have pledged £10m for the funding of a national education programme for children and young people over the next four years.
Signatories have also pledged to work with the financial services industry to block gambling transactions on accounts held by under-18s and with advertising bodies to limit exposure of minors to gambling ads.
As part of commitments to strengthen existing advertising standards, the operators have agreed to commission an independent review into the effectiveness and impact of the whistle-to-whistle television advertising ban.
In addition, signatories have pledged to develop and adopt a new Code of Conduct for sponsorship activities, including integrating safer gambling into sponsorships. This will be achieved in consultation with sports clubs, rights holders and advertising bodies by 2020.
The creation of a new code of conduct for responsible promotions, governing bonuses, customer contact, VIP promotions and rewards are also among the commitments made by the operators.
All operators have said they will create new industry–wide standards to embed safer gambling practices including publishing a minimum set of markers of harm and interventions to identify and interact with at-risk customers.
In order to ensure transparency, signatories have said progress on these commitments will be regularly and publicly reported on with “an independent monitoring and evaluation process” consistent with the UKGC best practices.