Safer Gambling Week 2024: Everything you need to know

The Safer Gambling Week initiative is held annually to promote awareness regarding the significance of safer gambling practices within the industry. It aims to equip individuals with essential tools and resources for responsible gambling, as well as to offer guidance on maintaining control and accessing support services.

When Is Safer Gambling Week 2024?

Safer Gambling Week enters its seventh year and will run from Monday 18th to Sunday 24th November 2024.

What Is Safer Gambling Week 2024?

Safer Gambling Week is a cross-industry initiative that aims to promote safer gambling in the UK and Ireland and to make people aware of the tools that are available to gamble safely and responsibly.

How To Know The Gambling Warning Signs

There are many organisations, such as Gamble Aware, that provide a short quiz to give you an insight into how gambling may be affecting you or someone you know. Once completed, they will then be able to give you advice and support, plus the appropriate steps to take.

Here are some examples of the questions they ask:

• Do you ever feel worried about your gambling?
• Is your gambling causing you any difficulties?
• Do you feel you need to keep gambling with larger amounts of money?
• Have you ever gambled with more than you could afford to lose?
• Have you ever gone back later, or the next day, to try and win back money you've lost?
• Have you ever hidden anything about your gambling?

Steps To Gambling Safely And Responsibly

In order to keep on top of your gambling habits, here are a series of steps and measures to stay in control.

Set Limits For Time And Money

• You can use reality check timers to set up on-screen alerts to keep track of your time spent gambling, allowing you to gain more control.
• Many gambling sites have a clock to show how long you have been signed in for. It's important to keep an eye on this and ensure you take breaks and know when to log off.
• Deposit limits ensure that you don't spend more money than you want to. Impose your own spending limits by setting a budget. Only spend what you can afford.
• If you're concerned that you're spending too much time/money gambling then you can use a Self-Exclusion Scheme for a set period of time. More information on these schemes can be found on safergamblinguk.org.

Don’t Chase Losses

• If things aren’t going your way, close your betting app or put away your device. Take a cooling off period for a set amount of time.
• Set a budget and stick to it.
• If you find yourself going down a negative spiral, seek help and support. Help can be found in many ways, whether this is from family and friends, online at safergamblinguk.org, or on Gambling Helplines: 0808 8020 133.

Gambling Shouldn't Interfere With Your Personal Relationships

• If your gambling makes you upset and/or angry, and starts to interfere with your personal relationships with family and friends, you should seek help and advice.

Limit And Block Gambling Content

There are many tools available to help you not only limit gambling content and advertising, but block gambling websites completely.

• GAMSTOP - Helps you control your gambling by restricting your access to gambling sites for a set time period. All you need to do is follow the link, register, and confirm your identity.
• BetBlocker - Install on your devices to block yourself from using gambling websites for a set period of time.

Who To Contact If You Think You Or Someone You Know Has A Gambling Problem

If you think you have a gambling problem, there are many free and confidential ways you can get support and advice, both by phone and online.

Helplines

• National Gambling Treatment Service (England, Scotland and Wales): Call free on 0808 8020 133
• Northern Ireland National Gambling Helpline: Call free on 08000 886 725
• Republic of Ireland National Gambling Helpline: Call free on 1800 936 725

Websites

• GamCare - Provides information on how you can chat with an adviser 24 hours a day: by phone, live chat, WhatsApp Chat, Facebook, forums, and chatrooms.
• Gamble Aware - A leading independent charity that provides you or someone you care about with advice, tools, and support. They also have a short quiz available which will give you an insight into how your gambling habits could be affecting you.
• Gamblers Anonymous - A fellowship of men and women who share a desire to stop gambling.
• NHS - Provides information on how to get help for gambling-related harms and the NHS gambling treatment clinics that are available throughout England.
• YGAM Parent Hub - Provides resources to support and help parents have honest and open conversations with their children about gambling.
• YGAM Student Hub - Information and support on gaming and gambling for students.
• GamblingCare Ireland - Get help and support quickly and effectively.

For more information please visit safergamblinguk.org.