All Things Gambling: The Importance of Prevention in Achieving Safer Gambling

In today’s episode of All Things Gambling, we discuss "The Importance of Prevention in Achieving Safer Gambling" with CEO of The Better Institute, Jody Bechtold, who is also one of the judges for the prestigious Casino Guru Awards 2024.

Our conversation with Jody dives deeper into a topic that remains at the very heart of the industry, as she homes in on the importance of prevention in achieving safer gambling. The idea of intervention and prevention is rather new, but it’s quickly gaining a foothold and is taken up by regulators, health providers, and industry operators.

Bechtold believes that there are different ways that intervention for the sake of a more responsible industry may be achieved, with technology being at the core of it all. She is a firm supporter of Casino Guru Awards, which has proven to be a catalyst for positive change in the industry, and precisely in the direction that leads to a better and safer industry for all.

Bechtold explains the need to change the debate and the way we talk about gambling harm, as currently, the incidence of problem gambling seems to be downplayed as "marginal," but she insists that this is a wrong way to think about the issue.

Harm is harm she states, and the level of it is not really what is the issue. "The devastation is already happening. The shame, the guilt, the embarrassment, the thoughts of suicide. That is what makes that so impactful."

There is a need for a global response and exchange of information as well, as problem gambling is ultimately a problem that affects people across country borders, ethnicities, and cultures. Dive into this insightful conversation with Bechtold in our video interview.

Image credit: Casino Guru News