Safer Gambling Week 2026: Better Change and RG24seven launch free UK course

Safer Gambling Week (SGW) runs from 16-20 November 2026, with UK-facing messaging focused on responsible betting and gaming and how consumers can seek help. Ahead of the week, Better Change said it has teamed up with US training provider RG24seven to produce a free safer gambling online course for UK gambling operators.

Better Change said the course content brings together “operators, regulators, researchers, treatment specialists, and individuals with lived experience” and covers “signs of harm”, “interactions”, “protecting the young and vulnerable”, “safer Gambling tools”, and “crisis interactions”. The company added that the offer includes a “compliance grade learning platform” to track staff progress in real time.

Operators used SGW to emphasise tool accessibility and year-round messaging. Genting Casino Online Brand Manager Michael Vella said: “Data can help us see patterns in how people use different tools, but it cannot tell us the full story of someone’s circumstances or why they have made a particular choice.” He added: “Safer Gambling Week is a useful opportunity to encourage these conversations, but that work needs to continue throughout the year.”

Zingo Bingo Brand Manager Jack Watson positioned safer gambling as central to trust: “Gambling has a social contract with the British public, and licensed operators like Zingo Bingo have to earn and uphold that trust in everything we do.” From a marketing and product lens, Kinetic Digital Head of Brand Marketing Dom Aldworth pointed to tech-driven change and earlier risk detection: “I think AI and data analytics have an important role to play… However, technology alone isn't the answer. It needs to be supported by human expertise, transparency and appropriate oversight.”

Outside operators, Poppleston Allen associate solicitor Felix Faulkner flagged what he described as a tougher environment for land-based venues “heading into 2027”, citing “rising costs, Machine Games Duty adjustments, and evolving licensing expectations”. Payments provider Yaspa referenced Gambling Commission open banking research and highlighted channel overlap, stating: “91% of people who repeatedly used illegal sites also gambled with licensed operators alongside them.” Yaspa CEO James Neville also cited figures that “45% of people gambling on illegal sites scored eight or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), compared with 6% on licensed sites.” Separately, Blackbullion Founder and CEO Vivi Friedgut called out student vulnerability and urged universities to use the week to “raise awareness of the support available”.