BGC unveils 10-point safer gambling plan for operators during coronavirus shutdown
Trade body targets clampdown on Covid-19 marketing as operators launch new RG measures
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has launched a 10-point action plan for its members setting out standards operators should follow during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pledges include the increased use of safer gambling messaging across all operator sites and via direct messaging to players, as well as stepping up interventions where players increase time and spend beyond previous levels.
BGC members have pledged to actively promote deposit limits to players throughout the lockdown, as well as taking action to ensure “appropriate and responsible” advertising.
This includes monitoring advertising volume as well as the reporting of all illegal advertising by black market operators. As part of this, member firms have pledged to introduce a ‘one-strike-and-out” policy in respect of affiliates who breach pledges made.
BGC member firms have also pledged to signpost national gambling helpline GamCare and self-exclusion register GamStop to players throughout the lockdown, where player issues become apparent from monitoring and interaction.
Lastly, BGC members have pledged to conduct regular welfare checks on employees, ensuring their safety and wellbeing, as well as encouraging staff members to volunteer for community services projects and providing support and premises to the NHS.
BGC CEO Michael Dugher said it was vital that operators do everything they can to keep players and other potentially vulnerable and at-risk individuals safe during the lockdown, adding that these measures would make a big difference in that effort.
“We all know that levels of gambling have plummeted not just because of betting shop or casino closures, but because of the absence of sport, which is also fundamental to online betting. Although gambling levels have dropped during the Covid-19 crisis, our commitment to safer gambling is being stepped up,” Dugher explained.
BGC member GVC has said it will introduce two new markers of harm within its safer gambling algorithm, specifically to review a player’s pre- and post-lockdown behaviour.
The London-listed operator will also launch a new safer-gambling themed page for players, with advice on safer betting during the crisis.
In addition, GVC has pledged to develop specific guidance and restrictions for its affiliates aimed at preventing them from referencing the pandemic or encouraging excessive play due to boredom or isolation, including a blacklist of banned terms for affiliates.
GVC CEO Kenny Alexander said the firm was “hugely sensitive” to the potential for increased problem gambling due to the crisis.
“Our enhanced tools give customers the power to manage their spending and time in an effective way, and we are backing this up by carefully monitoring play through our markers of harm,” Alexander added.