The BGC has rolled out a new safer gambling campaign just in time for the festive season.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the UK gambling industry’s trade association, has launched a new campaign to promote responsible gambling during the Christmas period.
The BGC’s new campaign is named the ‘Limits are Good’ campaign and is intended to support the group’s Safer Gambling Commitments it announced in November.
The Limits are Good campaign
The campaign is made up of a series of 20-second digital films and other content which is aimed at men between the ages of 18-34. According to the BGC, this is a demographic that may be at risk of overspending on products and gambling during the festive season.
The BGC campaign will focus on promoting tools and initiatives that allow gamblers to set limits. The group will also track the use of these tools and use the data to help monitor how successful the ‘Limits are Good’ campaign is.
The films are live and can be viewed on Youtube and in the coming weeks, will be shared across a range of online gambling operator channels and in several land-based locations.
Brigid Simmonds OBE, Chairman of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: We set limits on what we do every day and betting and gaming should be no different. Over the festive period with so many important sporting events, if people wish to have a bet it’s important not to lose track of how long you spend or the amount you have staked.
“Tools are available online and in betting shops and casinos to help you set your time and spend limits and we encourage everyone to use these. For those worried about their betting or gaming, there is the option to self-exclude from gambling entirely and support is available throughout the festive period from the National Gambling helpline 0808 8020 133.”
Gillian Wilmot, chair of the Senet Group, added: “This campaign draws on real-life gambling behaviours to promote tools which help gamblers stay within self-determined limits.
“Our behavioural research identified that most gamblers maintain a range of informal strategies to maintain control of their gambling. By formalising limit-setting tools, operators can do more to empower their customers to gamble safely.”
This news comes after the BGC called for more education for young people to help combat underage gambling. The BGC’s call for better education was in direct response to a study published by the University of Bristol earlier this month.
The University of Bristol Report
The study was a part of the ‘Bristol Children of the 90s study’ which was commissioned by GambleAware to help gain insight into how gambling habits develop over time.
Measuring young peoples’ gambling habits at ages 17, 20 and 24, the study revealed that 54% of 17-year-olds claimed to have gambled in the past year. This increased to 68% with 20-year-olds but declined to 66% among the 24-year-old age group.
The study looked at data from 3,500 people across three age groups as well as data from surveys and interviews with parents.
