SBC News

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) the Netherlands Gambling Authority has announced that six projects have been awarded funding through the ZonMw Prevention of Gambling Addiction research programme.

Considered vital to the development of Dutch government’s treatment, intervention and support of gambling addiction the projects will begin no later than February 2024 and are financed through the Addiction Prevention Fund, which is managed by the KSA.

The programme will run from 2022 to 2029, with its breakthrough round focusing on vulnerable groups, prevention, treatment and interventions, gambling-related damage and the product characteristics/context of gambling.

Two Amsterdam UMC projects, two Trimbos Institute projects, and one project each from the University of Amsterdam and IVO have been awarded funding.

‘Evaluation and innovation of effective CBT treatment for gambling: stepping up the game, a mixed methods study’ from Amsterdam UMC, will focus on investigating cognitive behavioural the..

PayPlan has stressed the importance of reducing the stigma around gambling harm and the impact this can have on people’s finances.

The debt advice provider has put its weight behind a campaign led by GambleAware and GamCare, two of the UK’s leading treatment organisations, based on research by the two charities as well as investigations by PayPlan itself.

GambleAware research found that 62% of respondents believed that people experiencing gambling harm are judged negatively and 56% agreed with the statement that it ‘is important to challenge the stigma around gambling harms’.

Zoë Osmond, Chief Executive of GambleAware, said: “Gambling harms are hidden and complex in nature, making it incredibly hard to spot from the outside when someone may need help.

“It is therefore critical that when accessing financial services, especially when due to the impact of gambling harms, people feel they can talk openly about the issues they may be experiencing and are made aware of the wide range of ..

Sky Betting & Gaming (Sky Bet) has donated more than £250,000 to fund life-changing support at one of Yorkshire’s leading charities – the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.

Hundreds of staff and guests gathered at SBG’s Annual Charity Gala in Leeds on Wednesday for a night of fund-raising activity, hosted by ITV Racing’s Oli Bell and Ed Chamberlin.

A silent auction, raffle prizes, sponsorship packages and a Mascot Race helped raise an extraordinary amount on the night.

Sky Bet parent company Flutter UKI rounded off the evening by donating £120,000 towards to help pay for a new, state-of-the-art echo software package at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit.

The software provides highly-detailed analysis of a patient’s heart and can help free up doctor’s and other clinicians to do other crucial duties.

The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) is a not-for-profit organisation that provides lifesaving and life-changing support for children with congenital heart disease across Yorkshire.

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The Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has reported a significant increase in the reach and coverage of Safer Gambling Week (#SGWeek), noting a 70% rise in promotional activities compared to the previous year.

The surge resulted in over 50 million interactions on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and another unnamed platform.

In its seventh iteration, Safer Gambling Week, held from November 13 to 19, continued its mission to unite the gambling sector in emphasizing available resources for players. The focus remains on helping players manage their gambling activities, offering advice, and fostering discussions about safer gambling practices among friends and family.

Organised by the BGC, bacta and the Bingo Association, the initiative’s website received half a million visits during the week, several cross-party senior MPs and peers backed the campaign, and the UK Gambling Commission supported the event as well.

The more than 50 million impressions on social media for Safe..

SKS365 has announced that a corporate forest of 1,000 trees has been planted as part of the PlanetGreen365 corporate sustainability program.

This is the first initiative that the Italian market operator has completed in its plan to promote environmental sustainability and support rural communities in different parts of the world. The trees were planted across Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Brian Dean, Chief People Officer of SKS365, expressed that the group is extremely aware of the urgent need to address the issue of climate change and environmental sustainability.

“From heat waves to hurricanes, from droughts to floods and fires, extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent, putting human lives at risk and the future of our planet in jeopardy,” he said.

“Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness and responsibility among all of us in the fight against climate change and to safeguard the environment: governments, businesses, communities, and even individuals, ev..

The betting brand members of Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) are donating more than $3m over three years to provide financial counselling services for Australians.

Entain, bet365, betfair, PointsBet, Sportsbet and Unibet are each participating in the initiative, which has seen RWA partner with the Federal Government, the financial counselling sector and a range of industries including banking, energy and insurance.

This initiative effort aims to establish a not-for-profit body that will distribute funding to financial counselling services around the country from early 2024, aiding Australians in accessing sessions ‘promptly if needed’. 

CEO of RWA, Kai Cantwell, emphasised that financial counsellors play a ‘vital role’ helping Australians in financial difficulty by providing free, independent and confidential advice on ways to manage debts, make informed choices about their money and build a future with financial freedom.      

“RWA members are proud to set the industry standa..

GambleAware has called on partners and stakeholders to actively engage in addressing the stigma associated with problem gambling treatment which, it claims, continues to represent a major barrier for those seeking support.

The announcement comes as new data commissioned by GambleAware reveals that nearly two-thirds (64%) of adults in Great Britain who have experienced gambling problems have not discussed their issues with anyone, with 39% attributing their silence to stigma.

This data underscores GambleAware’s concerns about the high incidence of silence among those suffering from gambling harms and addiction. In response, it is launching the next phase of its stigma campaign to encourage those experiencing harm to seek support.

Chief Executive Zoë Osmond said: “It’s alarming to see the number of people who are struggling in isolation. As a hidden addiction, gambling harms can be incredibly hard to spot from the outside.

“It is therefore critical that people impacted are aware of t..

Gordon Moody has published its ‘Insights Report’ for the first half of 2023/2024, providing a detailed overview of its efforts to deliver localised therapy and treatment for victims of problem gambling.

The report aims to provide UK stakeholders with an understanding of the day-to-day dynamics impacting problem gambling interventions and treatments, which Gordon Moody has offered since 1971.

The charity details significant progress in the reach and effectiveness of its interventions, reporting a 10% increase in applications (481 patients) compared to the previous year.

The report underscored the ‘evolving make-up‘ of patients receiving treatment by gender, age, and ethnic origin, showing trends and changes over time. Regarding gender, 76% of applications were male, 23% female, and 1% transgender or other.

Mirroring wider UK problem gambling trends, Gordon Moody saw the age group of 24-34 as the largest segment of applicants. However, the charity underlined improved reach and effect..

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands Gambling Authority, has initiated a ‘pilot campaign’ to raise public awareness of CRUKS, the Dutch gambling central self-exclusion register.

Pilot campaigns have commenced across social media platforms, informing audiences about how to self-exclude from all Dutch licensed gambling operators via CRUKS.

Operated by the KSA, the CRUKS register was launched on 1 October 2021 to coincide with the Dutch government’s introduction of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) marketplace, regulating online gambling services.

CRUKS allows gamblers in the Netherlands to “voluntarily take a break from gambling.” Once registered, they cannot participate in legal online casinos and other gambling offers in the country for a minimum of six months and up to 99 years.

During H1, KSA launched its revamped CRUKS 2.0 register. The update made it easier to unsubscribe from gambling activities and added an eight-day reflection period for those considering unsubscribing.

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released its “Young People and Gambling Survey for 2023,” which investigates the gambling behaviors and experiences of young individuals aged 11-17.

Prior to the 2023 survey, a research program was initiated to enhance the collection of official gambling participation statistics. Stakeholders were reminded that the datasets for 2021 and 2020 were not updated due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on young people lives.

The Commission’s previous reports concentrated on the 11-16 age group. The 2023 edition has broadened to include 17-year-olds in year 12 and pupils from independent schools, with the survey engaging 3,453 online participants from England, Scotland, and Wales.

The report provides an overview of young people’s involvement in gambling, noting that around 26% of those aged 11-17 gambled with their own money over the past year. Among these activities, 19% played arcade gaming machines, while 11% bet money with friends and family.

The ..