Dr Jane Rigbye, chief executive of YGAM, spoke about the importance of teamwork when dealing with problem gambling. Her statement came in the midst of Britain’s Safer Gambling Week.
Rigbye: Companies Should Be Responsible All Year Round
Safer Gambling Week is an annual initiative in support of responsible gaming. The initiative is now in its 5th year and seeks to inspire more people to talk about gambling addiction. Dr Jane Rigbye who heads YGAM, a group that seeks to protect young people from gaming harm, noted that YGAM’s principles should be perpetuated all year round, not just one week. However, she acknowledged the awareness that the annual campaign generates.
Rigbye noted that despite all the initiatives, gambling disorders still carry a stigma. This means that there is more work to be done and urged people to talk more about the risks associated with gambling in the same way they talk about the risks associated with alcohol, drugs and tobacco. She believes that more education should be provided to people of all ages and backgrounds.
According to Rigbye, it is important for anti-gambling harm charities and organizations to work together to reduce harm rates. While not all organizations have the same opinion on everything, they all share the same common goal and should collaborate.
Collaboration Is the Key to Success
Rigbye said that YGAM’s main focus is educating people about gaming harm. The organization is therefore always working together with teachers, youth workers, parents and health specialists. As a result, YGAM has learned the importance of working together to prevent problem gambling.
In addition, YGAM has multiple partnerships within the third sector. For example, the organization is collaborating with Betknowmore UK to create and deliver training for employees within gaming. YGAM and its partner leverage information, lived experience, insight and professional experience combined with proven practices to teach customer-facing workers how to better help people with addictive tendencies.
The programs developed by YGAM and Betknowmore have been nominated for many awards and show the importance of collaboration and shared knowledge. Because of that, Rigbye urged the industry to tap into the “abundance of expertise” in the third sector as lived experience is often the most powerful.
We often find that our training is the first-time delegates have ever listened to someone’s very personal experiences with gambling harms. It is powerful and impactful. Where it is being utilized appropriately, lived experience is making a positive contribution to the improvements being made across the sector.
Jane Rigbye, CEO, YGAM
Rigbye concluded that she is proud of YGAM’s work both during Safer Gambling Week and outside of it. She concluded that YGAM is a “small piece of a much larger jigsaw,” alluding to the importance of a collaborative approach in the gaming sector. She noted that the government, regulators, charities, trade bodies, learned people and operators should all work together to protect the people.