Lets talk about gambling and preventing gambling harms with Better Change
We were very happy when ‘KnowNow Regular’ Robert Mabbett agreed to chair our Player Protection Forum.
Rob joined Better Change (Gibraltar) Limited after a 5 year spell at Gordon Moody. With over 11 years industry experience, including winning the Racing Post and SIS Betting Shop Manager of the year, Rob brings a unique insight to the event…
So to get us ready for the event let’s hand over to Rob to talk about gambling and preventing gambling harms…
Trigger Warning!!!
Not only am I going to talk about gambling in this post, there will also be a shameless sales pitch. You have been warned!
I am going to be honest, I gambled a bit more than usual last week. I can imagine this was the case for a lot of people due to the Cheltenham festival.
But here’s the thing. Because of the work I do I am well aware of how I can stay safe and keep my betting enjoyable even on the occasions where I might overdo it a bit!
I know about the safer gambling tools available and I have limits in place set to an amount I am comfortable with. I am aware that I can take a break if I wish to or even self-exclude myself if things became too much. I know about blocking software I can install, as well as people I can talk to if I was concerned about my gambling behaviour through helplines.
I know this is not possible for everyone of course but sadly the majority of people I speak to who gamble, (especially when we are running our fan engagement programmes) have no idea of the above and that worries me greatly as we don’t seem to be getting the basics right. Instead tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on political agendas and the revolving door of gambling ministers rather than on those who need it.
For me there are two ways in which we can prevent gambling harms:
1) We can prohibit gambling – a road which we seem to be on currently, putting in place blanket restrictions in the blind hope that it may prevent someone getting into difficulty or…
2) We can educate, inform and empower people who gamble to make informed decisions, help them use safer gambling tools positively and reduce the stigma attached to reaching out for help.
A lot of people ask me what Better Change (Gibraltar) Ltd do and it is exactly this. All of our work, our education tools, our workshops our fan engagement programmes and our consultancy work is focussed on promoting positive play and empowering those who work in gambling to build great careers in an industry they are proud to work in.
So if you want someone committed to preventing gambling harm as opposed to prohibiting gambling then as the late great George Michael said ‘Baby, I’m your man!!!’
There is a great agenda over the 2 days at the Player Protection Forum and I hope to see you there. You can book tickets here for you and your team.
