BETTER CHANGE
part of a tick box compliance exercise once play becomes problematic.
We need to demonstrate our positive interactions to show that the bulk of customer engagement is indeed positive; this may seem like an unnecessary admin chore but when challenged - and evidence needs to be submitted - it is vital to have. It is also important to be able to show our contribution to society; the entertainment we provide, the jobs we create, the taxes we pay and the safer gambling that we facilitate. Nobody else will do that for us and we should be proud of what we do. The gambling industry is an exciting place to work, and it is somewhere that you can build a great career, but people will only fi nd that out by accident or if we tell them.
Let’s go back to my initial statement: I like gambling. I should also add that I use safer gambling tools. I have also on occasion overdone
it and I have received an interaction. These are all what I would call normal behaviours for a regular gambler - the 99% of your customer base. Safer gambling tools are there to enable safer play, but because of stigma players often feel that these tools are for someone else or that they would only need them if they felt they had an issue with gambling. The same can be applied to check-ins and interactions; done early an enquiry into a player’s welfare or asking them if they need any assistance is a positive step and can help a player understand their gambling and make better choices. Documented they can demonstrate that an operator enables safer play amongst its customers. Sometimes things do go wrong so it is important to be able to evidence in these cases that this is not the norm.
Safer gambling is still gambling, and it is within our power to enable that in our businesses, should it sit right if someone who works in safer gambling,
gambles safely themselves? Of course it should! We shouldn’t be ashamed of it; if anyone can help reduce the stigma around gambling it is those of us who enable play in a positive and responsible way. Play Positively. Rob
Rob Mabbett
Rob joined Better Change from the charity Gordon Moody where he spent 5 years running their international gambling helpline “Gambling Therapy” as well as helping to raise their profi le and ensure suffi cient treatment spaces were available in their residential treatment centres to meet demand. With over 12 years industry experience, including being a previous winner of the Racing Post and SiS Betting Shop Manager of the Year award, Rob brings a unique insight into the
prevention and treatment of
gambling harm and is keen to focus his efforts further upstream as we aim to
prevent against gambling harm at Better
Change through Positive Play.
MAY 2025 17
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