There’s a need for responsible gambling — ICE London 2023

The International Casino Exhibition (ICE) of 2023 took place in London in February, drawing over 40,000 attendees worldwide. Its theme was ‘Stronger Together’, and responsible gambling was its focal point. Here, the campaigners claimed that the gambling industry was not doing enough to address the issue of gambling addiction.

The Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ) comprised high-profile sponsors, including the UK Gambling Council, IGT, and Responsible Gaming Council. Similarly, several safer gambling charities like Better Change and Betknowmore received £13,000 each to help teach the public about responsible gambling.

Responsible gambling means gambling in a way that minimizes the potential negative effects that the activity can have on you and society. This includes knowing and managing risks associated with it and promoting healthy gaming behaviours. To do this, it’s essential to consider some key principles.

Key Principles Of Responsible Gambling

1. 1. Gambling should be responsible from a social perspective — All casinos and other gambling establishments should take measures that’ll help minimize the potential negative effects of their activities on the community.
2. 2. Players should take gambling as a form of entertainment, not as a way of making money — This is a leisure activity, and players should gamble with what they can afford to lose. Besides, they should learn to walk away after experiencing financial and personal problems due to the activity.
3. 3. The gambling environment should be safe and fair — Gambling establishments should put in place measures that ensure their operations are safe and fair. Besides, they should be licensed and regulated to ensure they comply with these standards.

Effects of Problem Gambling

Betting addiction or problem gambling is a serious disorder that can affect someone’s life. Some of these impacts include:

How Casinos Can Promote Responsible Gambling

Online gaming establishments can help create a responsible gambling environment by implementing various measures to minimize addiction and other negative impacts of gambling. They include the following.

1. 1. Putting into use various gambling programs and policies — A variety of casinos have policies in place that show their effort to provide a healthy gambling environment. These include self-exclusion programs that allow players to voluntarily exclude themselves from gaming.
2. 2. Training their employees on the topic — Many casinos train their employees to identify the signs of gambling addiction and assist such patrons.
3. 3. Making responsible advertisements — Gambling operators should conduct their marketing efforts responsibly by not targeting the vulnerable or promoting irresponsible gambling behaviours.
4. 4. Implementing plans that prevent underage gambling — Casinos should enact strict regulations like age and ID verification to prevent underage from gambling and using fake IDs.
5. 5. Supporting education and research — Showing efforts toward responsible gambling involves supporting research related to responsible gambling. These include partnering with organizations that ensure responsible gambling or funding such research.

The United Kingdom houses one of the world’s biggest regulated online betting markets. It is on its way to making a series of expected transformations to its gambling laws this year, including crucial reviews on customers’ wagers based on their financial capabilities.