publishing a 10-pledge action plan setting out the standards expected of its members during the crisis. Tis included encouraging deposit limits and stepping up interventions if customers spent too much time or money betting. BGC members removed all TV and radio product ads for six weeks and pledged that at least 20 per cent of advertising in future should be safer gambling messages.
Te measures put forward by the industry during the crisis were pretty much dismissed out of hand by the mainstream press and a number of lawmakers. More than 20 MPs called the betting industry’s proposals “very weak.”
Most of the negative coverage continues to focuses on advertising practices, which the mainstream press depicts as essentially immoral. However, the gambling industry has already undertaken voluntary codes of
conduct in regards to gambling advertising. Te Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) adheres to the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) policies. Tis includes the voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban, which bans sports betting advertising around live sports from five minutes before a fixture starts to five minutes after it ends.
In addition, GambleAware launched the first stage of its Bet Regret campaign in February 2019, before starting the second stage in September 2020. Bet Regret encourages people to pause and reconsider before they place a bet. In its second version it is focused around the idea of ‘tapping-out for time out,’ with the aim of encouraging players to pause before they make an impulsive bet.
Safer Gambling Week (the rebranded name of the Responsible Gambling Week) will take place from from November 1-7. More recent
measures include calls to establish a Gambling Ombudsman to deal with concerns raised by customers. But what else can the industry do to ensure a fair debate on gambling in the media? Will the steps taken by the industry ever be enough for those opposed to gambling? Is some of the negative press justified? Is the industry really doing enough? Is the only way to fix the industry’s image through legislation that will reduce gambling related harm?
To find out we talked to David Clifton, Matt Zarb-Cousin, Eduards Jakubovs and Brian Hatch, all of whom look at the issue from different aspects and offer their own unique insights. David Clifton is widely recognised as one of the UK’s most experienced specialists in gambling law. Matt Zarb-Cousin is spokesperson for Clean Up Gambling, Eduards Jabubovs is Head of Responsible Gaming at Betsson and Brian Hatch is creator of Te Addicted Gambler's Podcast.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P45
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