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BGC takes over Senet safer gambling remit

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the new industry standards body for betting and gaming, is expanding its safer gambling remit as it takes over much of the work of the Senet Group.


The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the new industry standards body for betting and gaming, is expanding its safer gambling remit as it takes over much of the work of the Senet Group.

Senet has transferred its assets and responsibilities to the new body in a further sign of the BGC’s commitment to drive changes across the industry by leading on safer gambling.

The BGC’s membership includes betting shops, online betting and gaming and casinos and represents around 90% of the betting and gaming industry, giving it unrivalled scope to drive changes across the sector.

Senet was established in September 2014 by four leading high-street bookmakers to help raise and maintain safer gambling standards. The body managed the multi-operator self exclusion scheme (MOSES) in high street betting shops and the ‘When the Fun Stops Stop’ player messaging campaign.

In recent years, Senet has expanded its membership to include many of the leading online and land-based gambling operators, playing a key role in the industry’s adoption of voluntary practices reflecting continued concern about the impact of gambling on vulnerable people.

In April 2019 the Senet Group began a cross-industry collaboration project to develop an ambitious programme of industry action and as a result, twenty-two Safer Gambling Commitments were announced by the BGC at their launch in November 2019, with the endorsement of all BGC members. The clear aim is to make gambling safer and protect the young and vulnerable customers.

As part of their commitment to safer gambling, BGC members have already introduced a ‘whistle to whistle’ ban on advertising during live sport; substantially increased funding for research, education and treatment; implemented new ID and age-verification checks; ended any exclusive rights to screen FA Cup games and will this month implement a ban on betting with credit cards.”

Following the transfer of Senet’s responsibilities to the BGC, MOSES will continue as an independent organisation.

Commenting on the announcement, Brigid Simmonds, Chairman of the BGC, said: “The cross-industry collaborative approach pioneered by Senet became a blueprint which made the creation of the new Betting and Gaming Council possible. I would like to thank the Senet board, headed by Gillian Wilmot, and the team led by Sarah Hanratty for their hardwork, dedication and the legacy they leave through the Safer Gambling Commitments, which provide a roadmap for raising standards across our industry. We look forward to building on that work.”

Gillian Wilmot, Senet Chairman, said: “The collaborative ethos at the heart of the new Betting and Gaming Council now offers the opportunity to combine resources to deliver safer gambling initiatives at scale. It is vital that the industry is at the core of solutions to protect its customers. Senet’s role in bringing the industry together and leading initiatives to protect its customers and secure its own sustainable future has added significant value.”

BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher added: “The Senet Group leaves a rich legacy of accomplishments; it showed that the industry was serious about working together to raise safer gambling standards and the Senet team can be rightly proud of their achievements. The BGC now has the industry-wide reach to take this important work forward and drive standards even higher, in partnership with our members. Safer gambling must always be at the heart of everything we do as an industry.”

Senet Group


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