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Ten of the UK’s top gambling firms have announced their commitment to five responsible gambling measures as part of an effort to prevent the current government from imposing new, stricter regulations on the sector.
The CEOs from Aspers, bet365, Caesars, Flutter Entertainment, Genting, GVC Holdings, Playtech, Rank Group, Sky Betting & Gaming and William Hill have all agreed to the new measures in the hopes of supporting the UK Gambling Commission’s commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.
The five core commitments of the initiative are to prevent underage gambling and protect young people, increase support for treatment of gambling harm, strengthen and expand codes of practice for advertising and marketing, protect and empower our customers, and promote a culture of safer gambling.
“These commitments are an important step forward for the sector in their own right and also signal a genuine desire to ensure that acting responsibly is at the heart of our businesses,” explained Peter Jackson, chief executive of Flutter Entertainment.
“The Betting and Gaming Council welcomes these commitments from the chief executives. This is a major step towards preventing underage gambling and addressing harm,” added Brigid Simmonds, the chairman of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).
The new measures were devised by the several gambling firms in partnership with Senet Group, a regulator founded by William Hill, Coral, Paddy Power, and Ladbrokes that works to promote responsible gambling standards and is behind BeGambleAware’s slogan “When the fun stops, stop”.
In addition to the five new measures, the firms also announced a £10 million four-year national program in partnership with GamCare and the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust which focuses on educating young people and their families about gambling awareness.
The announcement comes off the back of a recent interim report published by the Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) which has called for further action from the Government and the UKGC to combat problem gambling. In its interim report, APPG has recommended reducing online slot games stakes to the £2 limit, which is currently in place across retail venues.
