BGC to take responsibility for ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ campaign
UK trade body inherits responsibilities including advertising materials from Senet Group
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) will this month assume responsibility for the Senet Group’s ‘When the Fun Stops Stop’ responsible gambling advertising campaign.
The trade body will also take over the group’s assets and responsibilities but will not assume control of the MOSES retail self-exclusion scheme.
Instead, the MOSES retail self-exclusion scheme will become an independent organisation distinct from the BGC. The Senet Group will effectively cease to exist after this point.
The decision to dissolve Senet Group into the BGC marks the culmination of a cross-industry collaboration project aimed at reforming the gambling industry following concern about its impact on vulnerable individuals.
The project, initiated in April 2019, saw the creation of 10 safer gambling standards, as well as the unveiling of the BGC in November 2019.
Senet Group chairman Gillian Wilmot said the “collaborative ethos” at the heart of the BGC provided the opportunity to combine resources to deliver safer gambling initiatives at scale.
“It is vital that the industry is at the core of solutions to protect its customers. Senet’s role in bringing the industry together and leading initiatives to protect its customers and secure its own sustainable future has added significant value,” Wilmot said.
The Senet Group was established in September 2014 by William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power to help raise and maintain safer gambling standards.
BGC chairman Brigid Simmonds paid tribute to the work of the Senet Group in raising standards throughout the industry over the last six years.
“The cross-industry collaborative approach pioneered by Senet became a blueprint which made the creation of the new Betting and Gaming Council possible,” Simmonds said.
Since its establishment in November, the BGC has developed several responsible gambling-themed initiatives as well as spearheading industry efforts on the ‘whistle-to-whistle’ advertising ban and enforcing the UKGC’s forthcoming ban on credit card use in online gambling.
“I would like to thank the Senet board, headed by Gillian Wilmot, and the team led by Sarah Hanratty for their hard work, dedication and the legacy they leave through the safer gambling commitments, which provide a roadmap for raising standards across our industry. We look forward to building on that work,” Simmonds added.