Safer Gambling Week 2021 Gets Underway

A Reminder to Stay on Top of Your Spending!

Safer Gambling Week is upon us, and the chances are you’ve received an email or seen references to it on social media, but what is it? The cross-industry annual event is an initiative held during the first week of November to promote safer gambling in the United Kingdom and Ireland, reminding everyone just how important it is to gamble responsibly.

Gambling is a form of entertainment and there are no guarantees when you place your bet, buy your bingo ticket or spin those slot machine reels. It’s very much like paying for a cinema ticket in respect of it only lasting a certain length of time, but unlike that cinema ticket, you are playing games of chance in the hope of winning money. Chasing losses, playing for longer than you intended and spending more than you can afford is not the responsible way to play, and operators in the UK and Ireland are currently reminding their customers how to stay within their limits with a series of reminders and competitions.

Be a Savvy Spender Not a Willy-Nilly Player:

The Sky Group (including Sky Bingo) is hosting a quiz all week long with questions relating to safer gambling. Those who take part are in with a chance of winning wager-free prizes in exchange for highlighting the importance of responsible gambling. Staying safe isn’t only about being responsible with your money during November, but all year round and there are tools in place to help stick to your limits, including:

• Deposit limits: When implemented, you will only be able to deposit your stated amount per day, week and/or month.
• Stake limits: This tool allows you to play games at a set price, such as a maximum of 50p a spin or £1 on bingo tickets.
• Game control: Freeze the games that you don’t want to play. I have this one in place for the ‘spin’ games over on Tombola. Why? Because £10 can disappear in seconds, especially when playing £1 a spin!
• Session limits: Control how long you are playing for with a timely reminder feature.

Tips to Stay Safe:

Only spend what you can afford – this is important. You should always bear in mind that you are likely to lose the money you are playing with more than you are likely to win! If you have money set aside for bills and other necessities, you shouldn’t be using this to play bingo, casino games or other gambling services.

Setting limits for your time and your money will help keep you on the right side of gambling…

the responsible side. Chasing wins and thinking a win must be due soon will only result in you playing for longer and inevitably spending more than you intended to. Having limits set in place will restrict you from the temptation to carry on.

Don’t let gambling interfere with your personal life. Spending too much time/money on gambling instead of going out and about with the people you care about will harm you and those around you. Keep your gambling balanced with the other activities you usually enjoy doing.

Gambling is not the answer to your problems and is certainly not a way to make money. If you feel like you are not in control of your gambling, you can take a break by excluding yourself from gambling from 1 day to 6-months, or you can self-exclude indefinitely. Free support can be found at GamCare.