BGC chief blasts anti-gambling groups for treating Safer Gambling Week with “disdain”
Grainne Hurst insists commitment to raising standards year-round is “unrelenting” as she kicks off annual awareness campaign
Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) CEO Grainne Hurst has slammed “anti-gambling campaigners” for treating Safer Gambling Week (SGW) with “disdain”.
SGW, which runs from 18 to 24 November this year, sees industry stakeholders come together to promote responsible gambling best practices and raise awareness of support and strategies that can be used to support consumers.
Hurst, who officially began her tenure as BGC CEO in September, kicked off SGW with an opinion piece for The House in which she championed the efforts of the trade body’s membership to drive up standards.
Hurst wrote: “Raising standards in our world class industry is the priority for the BGC every day of the year, but Safer Gambling Week is that rare opportunity to unite every stakeholder and combine and concentrate our activity into a single week, with a single mission, to raise the profile of safer gambling.
“In short, Safer Gambling Week aims to encourage all those involved in the industry – from employees to players – to be more attentive to safer gambling practices. The initiative looks to prevent gambling harm and promote more responsible play, both online and in land-based venues.”
Hurst went on to reference the NHS Health Survey for England, which identified 0.4% of people as problem gamblers, a rate she claimed the “alcohol industry could only dream of”.
She also pointed to data from last year’s SGW, which showed 54% of players who were setting deposit limits during the period were doing so for the first time, while players using reality checks soared by more than 300%.
Hurst continued: “All BGC members are incredibly proud of the vast suite of safer gambling tools they actively promote to help people manage their relationship and interaction with betting and gaming, including deposit limits, time limits and self-exclusion.”
The BGC chief also outlined her desire to better those statistics this time around, but also issued a stark warning regarding the threat of unlicensed operators.
A recent study, commissioned by the BGC, found as much as £4.3bn is staked on the UK black market each year by 1.5 million Britons, £2.7bn of which is estimated to come in the form of illegal online gambling.
Hurst said: “You will not find these illegal operators offering these tools – or promoting Safer Gambling Week – because they are not like BGC members, who know that safer gambling is the only foundation for a sustainable industry.
“The entire Safer Gambling Week campaign was constructed to spark a conversation and cut through the misunderstandings that often exist around betting. And we know this focused promotion works.”
In her closing remarks, the BGC CEO signed off with a defiant message to the detractors of SGW, as she insisted the trade body’s commitment to raising standards year-round is “unrelenting”.
She concluded: “All of this work shows that our commitment to raising standards and promoting responsible betting and gaming all year round is unrelenting, backed by the 109,000 people who work in this industry, to deliver this with a really big impact.
“It is such a shame then, when anti-gambling campaigners, who oppose anything and everything our members do, treat Safer Gambling Week with such disdain.
“Safer Gambling Week works, any impartial observer would agree, and it deserves support, not spite.
“Whatever they say, we will carry on this critical work, united in our resolve, not just for one week, but every week of the years ahead.”
Elsewhere, other industry stakeholders have spoken to the BGC about their thoughts on SGW, including gambling minister Baroness Twycross, who said: “Safer Gambling Week is a good opportunity to recognise the important work being done to help protect those at risk of gambling harms.
“We welcome the industry using this week to highlight the tools and support available to prevent people suffering potentially life-changing harm. The government is currently considering the full range of gambling policy and will update in due course.”
Andrew Rhodes, Gambling Commission CEO, added: “Ensuring safety should always be central to every aspect of gambling. However, Safer Gambling Week offers a valuable chance to emphasise this priority even further.
“It also enables operators to exchange best practices, helping to make gambling in Britain among the safest experiences worldwide.”