Safer Gambling Week and the voice of the industry

On Safer Gambling Week 2023, we have reached out to many of the industry’s established stakeholders and picked their brain about the initiative, where their companies stand on it, why do we need Safer Gambling Week in the first place, and whether this campaign has left its mark on gambling as we know it today over the years. We have received input from many of the industry’s most interesting companies, so don’t miss out.

Q1: What does Safer Gambling Week mean to your company, and do you plan to be involved?

Kimberley Broad, Chief Compliance Officer at Games Global: Safer Gambling Week (SGW) is important to Games Global. It’s a time for the whole industry to take stock and dedicate messaging towards a topic which helps support a sustainable gambling industry.If you consider the amount of airtime given to Safer Gambling messaging during this week by the industry, it suggests it isn't just Games Global that sees it as important.

Messaging is an important step to ensure we are achieving positive change. Statistics published in March 2023 (by the British Gaming Council) show that the industry’s investment in SGW is helping to turn messaging (which generated nearly 30 million impressions across X, Facebook and Instagram*) into action with 200,000 accounts setting deposit limits during the month and 61 percent of players setting deposit limits for the first time*.Games Global is a proud member of the Betting and Gaming Council's Executive Committee, a driving force behind the initiative.

Bernard Aquilina, Enteractive’s Responsible Gaming & Compliance Manager: At Enteractive, Safer Gambling Week holds significant importance for our company. It underscores our unwavering commitment to responsible gambling practices, reinforcing trust with both our valued customers and regulatory authorities while positively shaping our public image. Actively championing safer gambling not only solidifies player loyalty but also enables us to attract new customers seeking a secure and responsible gambling environment. Collaborating with stakeholders and investing in educational initiatives fosters a culture of safety and equips us with valuable insights. Above all, our participation in Safer Gambling Week is driven by our core belief in preventing and mitigating problem gambling, ultimately safeguarding individuals and society while protecting our company from potential legal and reputational challenges.

Turbo Games: For Turbo Games company, Safer Gambling Week is an occasion to remind users and partners that responsible gaming is a part of theiGaming industry development.We planned to make thematic posts on social networks with the main points about responsible gambling.

4H Agency: Safer Gambling Week holds significant importance for our company as it mirrors our unwavering commitment to fostering responsible gambling practices within the industry. We view it as an opportunity to actively engage in promoting a safer gambling environment. Through our extensive expertise and industry insights, we plan to contribute to the success of this cross-industry initiative. Ensuring that responsible gaming is a top priority aligns with our core values, and we are dedicated to playing a role in this crucial event.

Svend Aage Kirik, SG:certified: At SG:certified, we work tirelessly to help companies in the gambling industry have a positive impact on the world. We truly believe that together, we can make the industry a safer and more sustainable place. So, we support any incentive to help promote and implement safer gambling. Safer Gambling Week is now exception.

We believe that initiatives, such as Safer Gambling Week, help raise the bar for the industry, making any operator aware that this is a common responsibility no one can ignore if they do believe in sustainability and industry reputation. At SG:certified we will increase our communication towards safer gambling compliance and the need of staying ahead of regulation instead of being regulated.

David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet: Safer Gambling Week resonates well with our company’s ongoing endeavors to ensure safe gambling practices. At Soft2Bet, we actively engage in this week as part of our broader commitment to promoting responsible gambling. Even though we adhere to robust responsible gambling protocols throughout the year, Safer Gambling Week offers us a platform to emphasize and reiterate our dedication to safe gambling practices both internally and externally. We continually develop tools, collaborate with service providers, and train our staff to closely monitor and address problematic gambling behaviors, ensuring that we not only remain compliant with industry standards but aim to surpass them. This week aligns with our overarching goal of maintaining a safe and enjoyable gambling environment for our clients, reflecting our responsible stance within the online gambling industry.

David Richardson, Better Change: Safer Gambling week is important as it highlights the work we do 52 weeks a year and in that respect is something we support. We are involved working with several operators to promote positive play in safer gambling week, one of these is a land-based casino who has several venues who we will be visiting speaking to staff about their role in promoting a healthy relationship with gambling to their customers, and making sure they are confident and proud to work in the industry!

ZEAL: For ZEAL as a provider of online lotteries, the protection of our players is a top priority. For this reason, we consider Safer Gambling Week to be an important milestone for the lottery and gambling industry. The constant progress that our industry is undergoing means that new innovations and regulations are constantly needed to protect players. Therefore, we use AI-supported technologies from Mindway AI for player protection.

Mindway AI: Safer Gambling Week holds great significance for Mindway AI as it aligns with our core mission of promoting responsible gambling practices. We are committed to providing the most up to date solutions and expertise that help operators and players identify and mitigate problem gambling behaviors. We plan to actively participate in SGW by supporting awareness campaigns including speaking on the EGBA’s Markers of Harm webinar also the Gamble4Good Webinar Series – Innovation In Responsible Gambling. We are also proud to be collaborating again with our partners at Casino Guru to host Gamalyze on various brand sites they work with. Mindway AI will also be attending Sigma Europe which takes place during SGW and will be promoting our own initiatives both on site and digitally.

James Bennett, Group Communications at EveryMatrix: It’s always meant a time for the industry to come together to raise awareness of several areas including the risks associated with gambling and the impact it can have, but equally to provide support, resources and information to individuals who are and could be at risk of being affected and impacted plus highlighting the various research projects, funding and improvements the industry is making and pledging to make to continually raise safer gambling standards.

We recently became the first iGaming supplier to receive World Lottery Association (WLA) Safer Gambling certification following a rigorous audit process, and we have made it our mission to empower the industry with innovative software solutions that prioritise player safety and well-being, by providing cutting-edge tools and technologies that enable operators to create a responsible and transparent gambling environment.

Our vision is to be the leading software supplier for the gambling industry, recognised globally for our commitment to making gambling safer and more responsible. We aim to achieve this by continually pushing the boundaries of technology, data analytics, and player engagement strategies to ensure a sustainable and enjoyable gambling experience for all.

Mariia Nesterenko, PR Manager at BGaming: Safer Gambling Week holds significant importance for BGaming because we are staunch advocates of responsible gaming. We are committed to ensuring that everyone who engages with our games does so primarily for enjoyment and entertainment, savoring the thrills and pleasure that gambling offers at its finest.

We aim to raise awareness of this initiative and emphasize its importance. By doing so, we hope to contribute to fostering a safer and more responsible gambling environment for all our players.

Svetlana Kirichenko, Head of Marketing at Slotegrator: Safer Gambling Week is a notable event for the entire industry worldwide. We noticed that many of our partners will participate in it, therefore, we believe that it will be a great activity.

As a software provider, we understand how important it is to make sure that our clients understand the regulations and policies of responsible games including self-exclusion, etc.

Slotegrator will follow up with the key conclusions of the Safer Gambling Week.

Q2: Do you believe Safer Gambling Week meets its mark in the industry?

Kimberley Broad, Chief Compliance Officer at Games Global: It is vital that any initiative such as SGW is demonstrably effective. Taking the opportunity to speak to players across the sector, with a unified message about how to keep play safe by highlighting tools available and how to get support, is being shown to influence behaviours positively. Brigid Simmonds summed it up nicely when, in reference to SGW 22 she observed "You could not go anywhere without seeing something encouraging you to pause, think about your betting and gaming and ensure you really did take time to think.".

The feedback, the observations, the impression statistics, and related actions taken by players, suggest that SGW is indeed meeting its mark. Does that mean that as an industry we take our foot off the gas? Absolutely not and a key objective of all the SGWs to date has been to reach more people and deliver more actions. This is absolutely the right objective.

Bernard Aquilina, Enteractive’s Responsible Gaming & Compliance Manager: The effectiveness of Safer Gambling Week in the industry varies and depends on factors like operator engagement, player participation, and its impact on promoting responsible gambling.

While it's generally viewed as a positive initiative for raising awareness and demonstrating commitment to player safety, we believe that its ultimate success is measured by its ability to reduce problem gambling and protect vulnerable individuals.

Effectiveness can also be influenced by public awareness, participation, and regulatory requirements. Continuous evaluation and feedback from stakeholders are crucial to assess whether Safer Gambling Week meets its goals and contributes to safer gambling practices in the industry.

Turbo Games: Safer Gambling Week is an important point that unites us in understanding the social responsibility of the gambling business. This is a good opportunity to educate employees, colleagues, and friends from the industry about the need to pay attention to the responsible gaming.

4H Agency: Absolutely, we firmly believe that Safer Gambling Week successfully meets its mark in the industry. It plays a pivotal role in raising awareness about responsible gambling and nurturing a culture of player well-being.

The cross-industry collaboration during this week underscores the commitment of the licensed gambling industry to prioritizing safer gambling practices. Safer Gambling Week creates a valuable platform for education and advocacy, ultimately fostering a safer and more sustainable gambling environment. It serves as a crucial annual reminder that responsible gaming is paramount, making a positive impact on the industry and its stakeholders.

Svend Aage Kirk, SG:certified: Yes, we believe it meets its mark in the industry. However, we also believe that there still is a long way to go and that one week can’t change the world. However we feel the value of Safer Gambling Week is it’s an opportunity for the industry to come together and raise awareness of the need for improvements when it comes to Player Protection and Well-being.

David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet: Safer Gambling Week has indeed been a substantial initiative allowing the industry to unite, share knowledge, and advance further towards more responsible conduct, leading to a healthier industry overall. It contributes to raising awareness among operators and clients about responsible gambling. The increasing collaboration fostered during this week is pivotal to elevate standards, which in turn benefits both players and operators.

While Safer Gambling Week adds value by focusing attention on responsible gambling for a specific period, its true measure of success lies in the ripple effect it should ideally have, encouraging continuous efforts throughout the year. At Soft2Bet, we value the initiative but also believe that the momentum generated should not wane post the campaign week but should be sustained in our day-to-day operations to address compulsive gambling behaviors and uphold the industry’s legitimacy. Through consistent and collaborative efforts, we can better protect our clients, maintain the integrity of online gambling, and demonstrate a responsible attitude towards the challenges faced by the industry.

David Richardson, Better Change: The BGC do a great job in pushing safer gambling week and as with anything, there will always be negative press, especially around gambling and those who try and detract from the positives. SGW is not saying let’s forget about industry responsibility for the rest of the year but is something to give focus and facilitate innovation to protect players. I feel the terms ‘safer gambling’ might be something which needs to be looked at due to it giving connotation that it is unsafe but that is part of a wider conversation, we highlight positive play to protect players and sustain the industry.

ZEAL: Especially in an industry as fast-moving and technology-driven as the lottery industry, it is extremely important to keep drawing attention to the importance of player protection. Safer Gambling Week is a great opportunity to raise awareness of safe gambling and sensitize providers, players, and the media to this important topic.

Of course, it is not enough to focus on safe gambling for just one week a year. Rather, we want to see Safer Gambling Week as a starting point for continuously developing our player protection measures and thus always being able to offer our customers the safest possible gambling experience.

Mindway AI: Safer Gambling Week has made substantial strides in the industry, fostering increased awareness and engagement around responsible gambling. By continually evolving and expanding its reach across different stakeholders, Safer Gambling Week can have an even greater impact on the industry, ensuring that responsible gambling remains a top priority for all groups. The industry should remain dedicated to ongoing efforts to enhance responsible gambling practices and demonstrate a genuine commitment to player well-being beyond just this annual event.

James Bennett, Communications at EveryMatrix: It does a great deal to highlight all the areas we’ve mentioned but the key is to adhere to this all year round and make it part of everyone’s daily business and operational routines and cultures. This is happening more and more, and SG Week does a great deal to influence this both by raising awareness and raising standards.

Mariia Nesterenko, PR Manager at BGaming: We believe that raising awareness about responsible gambling should not be limited to just one week but should be a year-round effort. It's challenging to assess the exact impact of Safer Gambling Week on the industry as a whole. However, during this dedicated week, the iGaming community comes together to focus on responsible gaming and collectively emphasizes the importance of playing responsibly and safely.

While it's difficult to quantify the long-term impact, Safer Gambling Week serves as a concentrated period when the industry rallies around the promotion of responsible gambling practices. This concerted effort can certainly contribute to positive change and a heightened awareness of the importance of safe and responsible gaming throughout the year.

Svetlana Kirichenko, Head of Marketing at Slotegrator: Sure, responsible gaming and safe games must be at the frontline. It's a really important event that is helpful for all – providers, operators, players, and media. It’s a spot for discussing one of the most important topics in the iGaming industry now – responsible gaming and related issues.

Q3: Why do we need a Safer Gambling Week?

Kimberley Broad, Chief Compliance Officer at Games Global: Sustainability in every sense has to be considered as a core foundation for any business which sees longevity as key to its strategic objectives. Awareness campaigns are ultimately about education, and education is an essential part of it. In this specific context, it means ensuring that players have the best chances possible of staying safe. As well as the important pro-active measures to signpost players towards ways to manage their play, there is also the equally important element of making sure that players who are not playing safely can find ways to get help.

It is vital that the industry does everything it can to keep players safe, not just during SGW, but 365 days a year. Short, sharp bursts of messaging are known to be effective and if oneplayer is encouraged to seek help during SGW, that in itself justifies the initiative.

Bernard Aquilina, Enteractive’s Responsible Gaming & Compliance Manager: We believe that the primary purpose of Safer Gambling Week is to advocate responsible gambling practices within the industry. It aims to raise public awareness about the potential risks associated with gambling, educate individuals about problem gambling, and provide resources for seeking help.

This initiative seeks to prevent and resolve problem gambling, emphasizing the importance of player safety and responsible conduct among both operators and players. It also promotes collaboration among various stakeholders and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements. In essence, Safer Gambling Week serves as a concentrated effort to address the social and ethical dimensions of gambling, striving to create a safer and more responsible gambling environment for all involved parties.

Turbo Games: We need to talk aboutresponsibility and safety and remind everyone that entertainment is not only about fun, but also about the need to stop in time or help those who find it difficult to stop.

4H Agency: Safer Gambling Week is a vital annual initiative that the industry greatly benefits from. It serves as a collective reminder of the paramount importance of responsible gambling practices. This week-long event unites the licensed gambling industry in emphasizing player well-being, promoting awareness, and offering resources for safer gaming. In an industry where entertainment meets risk, Safer Gambling Week encourages a culture of responsibility, educating both operators and players about the potential risks and safeguards. It's an essential platform to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that gambling remains a form of entertainment and does not lead to harm.

Svend Aage Kirik, SG:certified: Safer Gambling Week is an annual wake-up event, which speaks to all stakeholders in the industry making them aware that we are still not there yet and that no one can lean back and pass the blame by saying "this is something others must take care of."

Creating a safe and sustainable future for the global gambling industry really is a team effort, and these efforts should be driven by empirical data and a real desire to help rather than a habitual recitation of a few responsible-gambling catchphrases.

We are all in this together and it’s an ongoing challenge.

David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet: Safer Gambling Week is an opportunity for the industry to highlight the importance of responsible gambling and reinforce the message to both operators and clients. It serves as a platform to underscore the ongoing efforts made by companies like Soft2Bet to ensure a safe gambling environment. However, it’s crucial that the awareness and discussions generated during this week continue to resonate throughout the year. By doing so, we can better protect our clients, uphold the legitimacy of online gambling, and demonstrate a responsible attitude towards the challenges faced by the industry. This continuous effort is essential to fostering a trustworthy and sustainable gambling ecosystem.

David Richardson, Better Change: SGW allows the industry to show off some of the positive aspects of their operations which for the gambling industry, often on the back foot in terms of reputation and mainstream media reporting, is an important week. It is crucial that the industry has evolved in the UK that SGW is not a one-off token effort but rather demonstrates how it has become part of the whole business. No one could argue that the industry hasn’t made tremendous strides over the last few years in a relatively short period of time, I would advocate all operators being loud and proud of the great work they do and not be shy to talk about the services they provide which millions of people enjoy.

ZEAL: Initiatives such as Safer Gambling Week are essential for the lottery and gambling industry. For us as a provider of online lotteries, security encompasses several levels at once, as it involves data security, technical security and, of course, player security.

As the market leader for online lotteries in Germany, protecting our players is a matter of course for us. For this reason, we are delighted with campaigns such as Safer Gambling Week, which raise awareness of this important topic. We would like to see more campaigns like this to ensure that the lottery and gambling industry remains a safe place.

MindwayAI: Safer Gambling Week is essential because it provides a concentrated opportunity for the gambling industry to collectively focus on promoting responsible gambling behaviours and safeguarding vulnerable individuals. It serves as a crucial reminder that the industry must prioritize player welfare and implement measures to prevent gambling-related harm. The initiative raises awareness, educates both players and operators, and encourages responsible gambling practices, ultimately reducing the negative consequences associated with excessive or problem gambling. In summary, Safer Gambling Week is a vital annual event that helps ensure the well-being of players and the integrity of the gambling industry.

James Bennet, Communications at EveryMatrix: It is needed to remind every stakeholder involved and every individual it touches of the risks and impact it can have, but equally that it is largely being done safely and in a measured way within the industry, with many great examples across the world of best practice and continuously improving standards.

Mariia Nesterenko, PR Manager at BGaming: Safer Gambling Week is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it serves as a dedicated period to remind players about the importance of responsible gaming. It encourages individuals to reflect on their gambling habits, seek help if needed, and adopt safer practices.

Furthermore, Safer Gambling Week is a critical period for industry stakeholders, regulators, and advocacy groups. It allows them to continually assess and enhance initiatives aimed at promoting responsible gambling and mitigating the harm associated with gambling. By coming together during this week, we can collaborate to refine and improve our strategies, thereby ensuring that the industry remains committed to the well-being of its players.

Svetlana Kirichenko, Head of Marketing at Slotegrator: We need this event because all participants in the industry need to know more about responsible gambling initiatives and events. This activity helps to identify gambling problems and to recommend measures for dealing with them.

Slotegrator shares with partners and clients information about new regulations and explains the necessity of legal gambling because it shapes the position of responsible gaming.

Attention to this question is a sign that the industry realizes the meaning of responsibility that begins with us.

Image credit: Casino Guru News