UK: Betting and Gaming Council launches new safer gambling campaign
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ritish standards body Betting and Gaming Council has launched a new campaign called “Take Time To Think”, which aims to promote safer gambling, announced the BGC on Friday.
The campaign encourages customers to use the wide range of safer gambling tools offered by the body’s members, states BGC in a press release. It replaces the previous “When The Fun Stops, Stop” safer gambling message.
“I am absolutely delighted that our members have signed up to this fantastic campaign,” said Michael Dugher, CEO of the BGC. “Millions of people enjoy a flutter and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly safely and responsibly. But that doesn’t prevent the regulated industry from continuing to do more to promote ever higher standards in safer gambling.”
BGC developed the new campaign following extensive customer research, as well as engagement with academics, Government stakeholders and operators on the most effective way of encouraging responsible betting.
The standards body believes the new message will be even more effective than the previous one “by encouraging customers to pause and consider” the safer gambling tools operators provide, including deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion.
The campaign is set to be launched with a series of TV adverts showing customers pausing mid-play before considering whether to use safer gambling tools. Operators will also adopt the “Take Time To Think” messaging across their online and retail businesses.
"‘Take Time to Think’ is another step on our journey to keep customers safe and ensure that we are not encouraging vulnerable people to gamble beyond their means," said Brigid Simmonds, chairman of the Betting and Gaming Council. "It is a positive campaign which I hope will be supported by our customers."
The campaign was subject to academic review and engagement with the Gambling Commission, GambleAware, GamCare and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Three workshops were conducted to discuss the creatives which emerged, and twelve creative territories were tested with players and non-players, in order to understand what worked and what didn’t.
The multi-million pound campaign has been funded by BGC members William Hill, Entain, bet365, Gamesys, Flutter, Betvictor, Betway, Kindred, Playtech, Betfred, PlayOjo, Betsson and Microgaming.
The standards body members already ensure that at least 20% of their TV and radio adverts are safer gambling messages, affirms BGC. It is estimated that around two million customers, which is about one in five, already use deposit limits.
“Together with the wider industry, we are pleased to support the BGC’s Take Time to Think campaign, which aims to positively impact awareness and usage of the range of safer gambling tools available to customers,” said Conor Grant, chief executive officer of Flutter UK and Ireland.
Grainne Hurst, director of corporate affairs at Entain, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to ensuring its customers have an enjoyable experience and also announced their support to the campaign. Mark Pearson, director of corporate affairs at Betfred, called on the industry to present “a consistent message” to the public and work together on safer gambling.
