RGW 2019 Will Bring Irish & UK Operators Together

The gambling industries in the United Kingdom and Ireland will join forces during Responsible Gambling Week (RGW) which will take place from Nov 7 to 13 to promote responsible gambling initiatives in the two countries. 

The Industry Group For Responsible Gambling (IGRG) will be coordinating the third consecutive RGW which takes place once every year. IGRG will be responsible for organising things in the UK while the Irish Bookmakers Association will handle things in Northern Ireland. 

More than 120,000 individuals who work in the gambling industry across the UK and Ireland will take part in RGW. The 2019 RGW is expected to be the biggest initiative so far as an emphasis is placed on not just promoting responsible gambling initiatives for a week but throughout the year. The RGW initiative is also being backed by pubs across Ireland and the UK along with slot machine operators. 

Responsible Gambling Week

This year, the focus will be on discussing safe gambling processes, new technology that can protect problem gamblers, providing more help to gambling addictions and educating both players and operators on recognizing early signs of gambling addiction.

Problem gambling has turned out to be a major concern over the last few years for both England and Ireland as stats show an increase in gambling addiction in both adults and minors. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has taken quite a few steps in the last 24 months to curb problem gambling in the country but Ireland hasn’t done much in this regard.

The tagline for RGW will be ‘Let’s talk about safer gambling’ and will not just be directed at players but also staff that work in the gambling industry. The UKGC believes that it should also be the responsibility of staff who work in the gambling industry to better serve and protect the customers. They will be trained not only how to spot signs of problem gambling but also how to approach and deal with such customers.

National Gambling Helpline Works 24 Hours

The National Gambling Helpline is one of the ways in which problem gamblers can get help. The helpline is now functioning 24 hours a day in order to deal with the increase in gambling addiction and encourages those who need help to pick up the phone and call right away.

GamCare which is one of the main organisations in the UK that deals with problem gambling is running a ‘BigDeal’ programme which focuses on educating youth about gambling addiction.