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BGC pledges to maintain momentum on safer gambling

The BGC has said it will maintain its momentum on championing safer gambling in the UK.

Following the Gambling Commission’s publication of a report into gambling participation, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has pledged to “keep up the momentum” in its mission to raise standards across the gambling sector. 

The Commission’s report

According to a new report from the UK’s gambling regulator, problem gambling rates in the country dropped from 0.6% in 2019 to 0.3% in 2020. 

The Commission’s report was based on a survey of 4,007 UK adults between March and December last year.

The study also showed that the rate of those gamblers classed as being at “moderate risk” of harm fell from 1.2% to 0.9% between 2019 and 2020. Meanwhile, the rate of “low risk” gamblers also showed a drop from 2.7% to 2.0% over the same time frame.

However, the Commission said that this is “not a statistically significant decrease at the 95% level” of confidence.

The BGC’s pledge

In response to the Commission’s findings, the BGC has pledged to “keep up the momentum” when it comes to championing safer gambling.

Although the Commission said the drop in problem gambling rates were not “statistically significant” the BGC said that the drop in figures suggest that its work over the past year on promoting safer gambling has had an impact.

Wes Himes, the BGC’s executive director for standards and innovation, said: “Since being established in 2019, we have worked tirelessly to drive up standards in the regulated betting and gaming industry and promote safer gambling.

“Our initiatives have included encouraging deposit limits, investing more in research, education and treatment, and introducing tough new rules on VIP schemes and game design.

“One problem gambler is one too many, however, and we are determined to keep up the momentum in the months ahead.

“For example, we’re looking at how we extend filtering for online ads, and are working with online platforms on opt outs for betting advertising.

“We look forward to engaging with the Government’s Gambling Review to ensure a safer gambling environment for our millions of customers.”

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