BETTER CHANGE
The dice were loaded from the start
Gambling is under the microscope, perhaps more so now than ever before. Better Change’s engagement director, Rob Mabbett, takes a closer look (pun intended).
G
ambling is under the microscope both in the public eye as well as in political circles. The scrutiny shows no sign of slowing down either, with calls already for another gambling act review in the UK despite the fact the previous one has not yet been fully implemented. One could be forgiven for feeling a sense of fatigue at the seemingly never-ending demands on our industry through consultations, calls for evidence, surveys and focus groups that require us to continually justify our industry in the face of business limiting and restrictive regulations. But the truth is we need to work harder now than ever before to ensure that our industry is sustainable and not unduly restricted because of the infl uence of career campaign groups and lobbyists who, with a seemingly endless energy, go from campaign to campaign without ever being satisfi ed. If the rhetoric coming out of the public health sector in the UK is to be believed there is also a strong chance that these groups will be further empowered by access to funds through the newly introduced gambling levy, something that Better Change
24 JUNE 2025
wrote to government to warn against and insist that a governance framework to ensure transparency is put in place.
The majority of the time regulation aimed at making gambling safer is well meaning, and Better Change are proud to collaborate with licensed operators and suppliers to promote best practice and positive play by empowering people to make informed choices. I was however compelled to write this article because lately there have been examples in talks, presentations and in articles where the issues discussed were either out of the gambling industry’s control, impossible for us to resolve, exaggerated or simply untrue.
About a decade ago there was a real change in the way we looked at gambling harm and social responsibility in the gambling industry. Working in a customer facing role at the time there was defi nitely greater focus on interacting with customers, documenting those interactions, use of safer gambling tools and also self- exclusion schemes. At the same time we also started to hear more stories from those with lived
experience of gambling harm, this was important as it helped us to understand better how gambling can negatively effect people, it also showed us that recovery was possible with the right support, which I am sure over the years has been a source of inspiration for many who have sought help. The industry was very receptive to the voice of lived experience and in the time that followed we heard from many people who bravely shared their stories at events, on social media and in articles and interviews. It helped us to empathise with people affected by gambling harm and the industry voluntarily donated funds to help set up a number of support organisations, programmes and initiatives that are still available today. At one of these events and after listening to a particularly emotional story of someone who had suffered numerous traumas and multiple addictions a colleague mentioned to me that it was very hard to challenge what had been said. This was an important point because there were numerous aspects of the story that were not gambling related, gambling was simply something that this person did to cope with the
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
