Safer Gambling Week 2025 – A Big Thumbs Up
Safer Gambling Week (SGW) runs annually with the objective of raising awareness and highlighting safer gambling tools and resources. The campaign takes place each November, and key outcomes from the 2025 SGW have now been revealed.
Safer Gambling Week – what’s it all about?
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) represents the majority of casino operators who have a foot in the UK. SGW, which has now run for nine consecutive years, was set up by the BGC with support from its many members.
In recent years, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has launched a similar initiative, the European Safer Gambling Week, which is now five years in. Despite being separate initiatives, both Safer Gambling Weeks run simultaneously and share common objectives.
Safer Gambling Week 2025
The British Safer Gambling Week focuses on three central objectives each year. For the 2025 campaign, these were:
- Let’s talk about safer gambling – Facilitating open conversations and self-reflection.
- Take action: safer gambling tools – Encouraging players to make use of practical tools like deposit limits.
- Get support: advice and helplines – Raising awareness of where players can find help, advice and support.
Safer Gambling Week 2025 findings
Both the UK’s Safer Gambling Week and the European Safer Gambling Week have been generally successful, often beating their own outreach records each year. Below, we’ve set out the key takeaways from each.
Safer Gambling Week UK findings
The headline statistic is that the UK SGW 2025 campaign generated over 80 million impressions across social media platforms. This marks an impressive 40% increase compared to the previous year.
The results from the 2024 campaign showed that social media messages led to increases in the number of players setting deposit limits and using safer gambling tools, and we can expect a similar pattern this year.
Additionally, some of the BGC’s members, including Flutter and Merkur, ran their own awareness-raising efforts alongside. The campaign also generated support from British politicians and industry figures.
European Safer Gambling Week findings
European Safer Gambling Week proved similarly successful, with 221 partners across 24 countries, up by 14% compared to 2024. Through social media, the European campaign reached 4.1 million individuals, a 32% year-on-year increase. The distributed messages included over 1,280 posts in local languages.
Alongside the campaign, the EGBA ran a series of events and online sessions which involved more than 2,500 attendees and 120 speakers. Topics covered included gambling harm, the black market, protection of minors and responsible gambling advertising.
A dedicated website, SaferGambling.eu, was also launched, offering Europe-wide support with country-specific guidance and helplines.
Safer Gambling Week overview
By refining their methodologies and adjusting their priorities each year, both Safer Gambling Weeks manage to consistently beat their own records, but they are not without their critics.
Safer Gambling Week victories
Safer Gambling Week delivers clear, practical benefits for players and the wider gambling industry. By concentrating government, regulators and support organisations around a single message, the campaign helps encourage industry collaboration.
Socially, by prompting discussions of responsible gambling, the campaign helps to destigmatise the issue, making it easier for those who are struggling to seek support.
For players themselves, the awareness-raising has direct benefits. As a result of SGW’s messages, many players begin to use deposit limits, and are more informed about support services.
Broadly speaking, the campaign’s efforts should translate into a healthier gambling population while reducing strain on support services.
Criticisms of Safer Gambling Week
A few years ago, SGW received some flack from anti-gambling campaigners such as Christian Action Research and Education, and Gambling With Lives. These organisations accused SGW of being a “cynical stunt” and a "cringe campaign" designed to make the industry look compassionate.
These accusations have more or less fallen quiet, with the campaign’s impressive track record. There is no denying that SGW does both measurable and immeasurable good for players.
Year-round?
Some critics cite the fact that SGW’s efforts aren’t year-round. However, the campaign is not intended to replace existing support services – it is a focal point that brings together the industry and produces an uptick in responsible gambling.
Operators are legally required to provide safer gambling tools every day of the year, and support services are always available.
Improving Safer Gambling Week
Both Safer Gambling Week campaigns are solid successes, but that’s not to say that there isn’t room for improvement.
The campaign runs for a week. However, there may be scope for smaller ‘check-in’ campaigns that encourage players to take a look at their deposit limits, and offer reminders of the support available.
Collaboration key
Deeper collaboration between operators, regulators, healthcare providers and charities could also strengthen the campaign. Good work is being done in terms of collaboration, but this can be improved on, particularly in the case of the European campaign.
The most direct way for the UK’s Safer Gambling Week to improve is for it to continue growing at the pace it has been expanding for the past few years, and this may prove a challenge. The BGC will have to get creative to see the same levels of growth year on year.
Fortunately, as it’s run by the BGC, Safer Gambling Week shouldn’t be disrupted by the impending levy-related shake-up to UK support services. It will, however, need to keep its eye on that situation, and ensure that it amends its offerings where necessary.
Europe
The European campaign has much more room to grow, with a bigger audience to reach. It should aim to get more partners on board and ensure that its wide-reaching efforts are consistent and coordinated. European Safer Gambling Week hasn’t been running as long as its UK counterpart, but judging by the metrics we’ve seen here, it has a lot of catching up to do. It also has to navigate what might turn out to be nuanced differences in the issues faced in different countries.
Summary
Safer Gambling Week has been another success, both in the UK, where it originated, and throughout Europe. Both campaigns have managed to expand and beat their previous years’ statistics. There’s work to do, especially in Europe, but none of this should undermine these positive outcomes.
