It’s no secret that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is expecting UK gaming operators to step up their game when it comes to protecting problem gamblers and William Hill has received that message loud and clear. The big-time UK operator is launching a new campaign called, “\Nobody Harmed that’s aimed at highlighting the actual impact of gambling addiction on people and organizations.
Nobody Harmed is a pretty innovative initiative that shows just how seriously William Hill is taking a long-simmering crackdown by the UKGC on operators who who play fast and loose with the rules.
The campaign itself is a series of changes to internal procedures that, among other things, re-tools the company’s marketing campaigns to emphasize self-help tools for problem gamblers; offers more support to problem gamblers once they’ve been identified; and empowers individual employees to take action when they see a potentially problem gambler.
William Hill Director of Strategy and Sustainability, Lyndsay Wright was quite frank and forthcoming in a statement on the company’s website regarding the new initiative. She acknowledged both that the company hadn’t done enough to combat problem gambling in the past and that some would question the real motivation behind the new campaign saying:
We’re one of the largest bookmakers in the UK – and there’s a responsibility that goes with that. We can, and we must, tackle harm from gambling. This isn’t going to be a smooth ride. There will be bumps along the road. We will be criticised and some of that criticism will be fair. But we believe that it’s only by setting out with a bold ambition that we’ll start to see that change we want – and to have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Wright clearly has the support of William Hill’s executive team and it will be interesting to see how their new approach works out in the rough and tumble world of UK gaming.