In a unifying move, the Irish and British betting industries have decided to pool their efforts in a bid to uproot reckless gambling practices. The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) has announced that it will hold the Responsible Gambling Week 2018, an event dedicated to addressing the most common and pernicious consequences of excessive gambling.
The pow-wow will be held in Ireland from November 1-7. Businesses and organizations from Ireland and Northern Ireland will come together with their Great Britain counterparts in a bid to work solutions on some of the most pressing issues at hand.
The IGRG will bring together a number of member trade associations, and owners of bingo clubs, bookmakers, amusement arcades, online platforms and casinos. The gathering will be focused on raising awareness for the entire industry and teaching participants how to gamble responsibly.
The event will go under the tagline Let’s Talk About Responsible Gambling. The fact that the industry is finally pooling its efforts is signalling a willingness to seek solutions to pressing and inherent problems that have been besmirching the name of the business.
Of Weeks Of Yore
The 2017 Edition of Responsible Gambling Week was a success. It managed to attract representatives of 10,000 gambling venues, affect 120,000 employees across all of Great Britain and whip up social media buzz, by creating over 10 million impressions on social media.
Now, IGRG will seek to improve upon these results and expand its reach further, hoping to affect more staff and business from Ireland, too! In Ireland alone, the initiative has been endorsed by 800 bookmakers and 5,500 staff members have vowed their support.
A number of distinct bodies in the country will be joining the initiative as well, including the Acades Association, the Gaming and Leisure Association of Ireland, Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish Geyhound and Horse Racing Tote.
Given the grassroots and professional support combined with the tightening of the regulatory screws, it’s understandable why the business is seeking to make sure that all its operations are clean and that no gamer or bettor is at risk.
The efforts put into the creation of the event go a long way to show that there’s willingness to embrace the values promoted by the Responsible Gambling Week even if their successful implementation takes time.
Responsible Gambling Group Chairman John Hagan had this to say: “Social responsibility is fundamental to the gambling industry’s approach, and we are all dedicated, year-round, to promoting responsible gambling. But what makes Responsible Gambling Week special is that the whole industry is united and engaged, and we are pleased that this hugely positive collaboration extends to working with the Irish industry this year too.”
On the whole, there are certainly reasons to be happy with the progress that has been made. However, the UK is noting a significant increase in the number of its problem gamers, and that’s a problem that needs speedy addressing before it has sprawled out of control. The future is definitely challenging for bookies and punters alike.
