According to the latest data shared by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), 2023’s Safer Gambling Week (SGW) initiative prompted an impressive number of players and bettors to begin taking advantage of safer gambling tools. Each November, charities, entities belonging to the gambling sector, football clubs, the Gambling Commission, and the Government all take part in this campaign with the goal of raising awareness regarding safer gambling.
As revealed by the BGC, the 2023 campaign enjoyed 50 million impressions on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, 70% better than what was achieved in 2022. This notable engagement translated to excellent results. Deposit limits, in particular, shot up by 18% while the 2023 SGW was underway in comparison to 2022. A total of 83,242 individuals chose to utilise this gambling safety tool, with 54% of clients being first-time users of such technology.
The figures concerning reality checks were even more impressive, as it has been estimated that the number of players making use of this feature skyrocketed by 300%. Once again, this data pertains to the timeframe of the SGW. The same level of increase was observed when it came to clients who set up maximum stake limits.
Responsible Gambling Tools are Essential for a Regulated Gambling Market
Michael Dugher, currently serving as the BGC’s CEO and acting chair, celebrated the figures, noting how the campaign has resulted in millions of clients across Britain making use of responsible gambling tools. “This is a pillar of the regulated industry,” he continued, drawing attention to how this data contrasts the danger characterising the online gambling black market. Mr Dugher stressed that while the BGC’s member operators promote safer gambling features throughout the year, a week dedicated to gambling health and supported by both the Government and the UKGC “turbocharges that work,” as proven by the data.
Gambling safety tools play an important role in the prevention and detection of problem gambling. Their promotion is crucial given how thousands of individuals in the UK are classified as problem gamblers, according to the latest NHS Health Survey for England. Brentford star Ivan Toney used to be a part of such statistics, as a severe gambling addiction pushed him to begin wagering on football, which eventually led to him being temporarily suspended from playing. Besides him, cricketer Brydon Carse, Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, and other sports players have also been negatively impacted by problem gambling.
Of course, sports players and famous figures in general do not make up the majority of problem gamblers in the UK. Instead, most individuals suffering from this issue are ordinary citizens, with one example being Kevin O’Donnell from Liverpool. Earlier this week, The Mirror reported on how he had stooped to breaking the law by illegally selling modified Amazon fire sticks containing copyrighted content, all in the name of finding more money to wager with and feed into his gambling addiction.
- Author
Daniel Williams
