Take Time To Think
Betting and Gaming Council Replaces 'When The Fun Stops, Stop' With New 'Take Time To Think' Safer Gambling Message
The Betting and Gaming Council, the standards body representing
betting shops, casinos and online, has launched a new campaign aimed at
encouraging customers to use the wide range of safer gambling tools
offered by its members.
The ‘Take Time To Think’ campaign replaces ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’ as the regulated industry’s key safer gambling message.
It followed extensive customer research, as well as engagement with academics, Government stakeholders and operators on the most effective way of encouraging responsible betting.
The BGC announced in February last year that it would be bringing forward a replacement for ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’.
The research involved three phases, with the first carried out by market researchers Trinity McQueen. Participants kept diaries of their gambling behaviour, and this was followed by a series of telephone interviews and focus groups.
The research found that it is strongly felt among low risk bettors that the industry should play a unified but background role and be there to subtly remind customers to look and reflect on their own gambling behaviour.
In phase two, workshops were conducted with key BGC stakeholders. Twelve creative lines were developed to be tested with a large sample of players.
A total of 2,566 members of the public were involved in the third phase – 1,537 of whom were bettors and 1,029 were not. They were asked to evaluate the various messages.
At the end of the process, ‘Take Time To Think’ was selected because it is simple, not negatively framed, thought-provoking, easily actionable, memorable, better promoted self-reflection and therefore likely to have a broader appeal to players of all types.
While ‘When The Fun Stops, Stop’ was successful in helping to address problem gambling, the BGC believes ‘Take Time To Think’ will be even more effective by encouraging customers to pause and consider the safer gambling tools operators provide – such as deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion - to help them moderate their play and stay in control.
The BGC has worked with broadcasters and online platforms to deliver the multi-million pound campaign, which has been funded by BGC members William Hill, Entain, bet365, Gamesys, Flutter, Betvictor, Betway, Kindred, Playtech, Betfred, PlayOjo, Betsson and Microgaming.
It was launched with a series of TV adverts showing customers pausing mid-play before considering whether to use safer gambling tools. They will continue to run throughout Safer Gambling Week.
Operators will also adopt the ‘Take Time To Think’ messaging across their online and retail businesses.
BGC members already ensure that at least 20 per cent of their TV and radio adverts are safer gambling messages, while it is estimated that around two million customers – around one in five - already use deposit limits.
Conor Grant, chief executive officer of Flutter UK and Ireland, said: “Our brands have been at the forefront of innovative campaigns to raise awareness and promote customer usage of safer gambling tools for a number of years.
“Together with the wider industry, we are pleased to support the BGC’s Take Time to Think campaign, which aims to positively impact awareness and usage of the range of safer gambling tools available to customers.”
Grainne Hurst, director of corporate affairs at Entain, said: "Ensuring our customers have an enjoyable experience when playing with us is our highest priority and we are pleased to support the Take Time To Think campaign as an important initiative, which encourages customers to take full advantage of the safer gambling tools that are available to manage their gaming."
Mark Pearson, director of corporate affairs at Betfred, said: “It is essential that the industry present a consistent message and everyone works together to promote safer gambling.”
Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, said: “I am absolutely delighted that our members have signed up to this fantastic campaign.
“Millions of people enjoy a flutter and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly safely and responsibly. But that doesn’t prevent the regulated industry from continuing to do more to promote ever higher standards in safer gambling.
“Our research has shown that the ‘Take Time To Think’ message will
encourage even more customers to pause and consider whether to make use
of the wide range of safer gambling tools that are available. That will
enable them to stay in control of their betting.
“The efforts BGC members are making to
promote safer gambling are in stark contrast to the all too easily
available unsafe, unregulated black market online.”