The Racecourse Association Signs up to Support Responsible Gambling Week 2019

The Racecourse Association (RCA) has signed up to support Responsible Gambling Week, an industry-wide campaign to trigger a national conversation about what it means to gamble responsibly.

Responsible Gambling Week 2019, which takes place from November 7^th – November 13^th under the hashtag #RGWeek19, is the public face of the industry’s year-round commitment to promote safer gambling. More than 120,000 staff at thousands of gambling venues and online sites are taking part, and this marks the second consecutive year that racecourses across the UK and Ireland are participating.

The RCA’s support will encourage its member racecourses to carry #RGWeek19 messages on LED screens on racedays and publishing information on #RGWeek19 on the course website and across social channels throughout the week detailing the five key responsible gambling behaviours:

• Only spend what you can afford
• Set your limits for time and money
• Gambling is not the answer to any problem
• Gambling when angry or upset is not a good idea
• Gambling shouldn’t interfere with your personal relationship

The campaign is led by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling, comprised of all the gambling trade associations, and in Ireland by the Irish Bookmakers Association. The objective is to trigger a national conversation about safer gambling, highlighting the tools, advice and help available to customers, and the initiatives being taken by operators to promote social responsibility throughout the year.

A new website www.responsiblegamblingUK.org, will act as an information hub, providing a comprehensive one-stop service for consumers all year round, educating them about all aspects of responsible gambling.

Paul Swain, the RCA’s Brand & Experience Manager, commented “the RCA is once again proud to be a supporter of Responsible Gambling Week.

“Almost six million racegoers attended a British Racecourse in the last year which demonstrates the scale of the sport’s outreach. Placing a bet is an integral part of the raceday experience for many patrons—the Responsible Gambling Week campaign allows us to signpost important messaging about doing this responsibly and spark national conversation around the topic.”

John Hagan, chairman of the IGRG, said: “we are delighted that the Racecourse Association will be supporting Responsible Gambling Week.

“We want to take the message about safer gambling even further this year and are confident this will be our biggest campaign yet. The continued engagement and support of racecourses in the UK and Ireland is enormously helpful in highlighting the week and triggering a national conversation about what it means to gamble responsibly throughout the year.”