GamCare to revise UK Safer Gambling Standard
The standard will be revised to function under a new structure.
UK.- GamCare has announced plans for a revision of the UK Safer Gambling Standard. The safer gambling support and treatment charity said that a strategic review would make recommendations for the standard to function under a new structure.
Accredited by UKAS, the Safer Gambling Standard is an independent quality standard intended to evaluate licensed gambling operators’ measures to protect customers from gambling-related harm. It requires operators to submit up-to-date information on regulatory investigations.
The Safer Gambling Standard was last revised in 2021. GamCare is currently reviewing Gamesys to ascertain whether it breached the standard.
GameCare said: “Our core focus at GamCare will continue to be the provision of high-quality, accessible support to the thousands of people who come through our services each year, both to those who are struggling with gambling directly and to those who are affected by someone else’s gambling. All of GamCare’s work is focused on the reduction of gambling harms, as it has been for 26 years.”
Meanwhile, GamCare has reported the UK’s National Gambling Helpline received a record 52,370 calls and online chats in 2023. The figure represents a rise of 24 per cent compared to 2022.
The month with the most calls was August 2023, while December saw the highest year-on-year rise, with Christmas being the busiest period on record. Part of the increase was due to the launch of its WhatsApp service in February. It received 6,000 interactions through this channel.
