The European Safer Gambling Week 2024 Sets New Records

Hosted by the European Gaming and Betting Association, European Safer Gambling Week 2024 (ESGW24) has achieved record-breaking milestones. EGBA has been monitoring the progress of the public awareness campaign over the years by setting specific KPIs and comparing them with historic results and performance.

EGBA Sets New Milestones with ESGW24

Held in November, the campaign generated 67 million safety messages, amplified and spread with the help of EGBA’s members. The campaign focused on 26 national markets, with big headways made in Austria, Denmark, Norway, Poland, and more.

The campaign also broke ground in Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine, acknowledging the need to expand its geographical reach and ensure that consumers all across the continent have access to crucial resources and awareness about gambling-related problems, regardless of their native language or location.

According to EGBA, the current campaign has involved 30% more countries than it did in 2023, generating a strong social media presence.

A total of 1,169 posts were made across the leading social media platforms in Europe, including Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X. This marked a 67% increase from 2023. As to the social media reach of the campaign, some 3.1 million users were exposed to these messages which were mostly driven by the #ESGW24 hashtag.

EGBA has also worked with its members to host a number of specialized events seeking to specifically address the need for a more robust response to problem gambling in Europe. A total of 20 events were hosted which resulted in 4,500 registrations and 3,000 attendees, with 105 speakers participating in various webinars and in-person meetings.

Commenting on the campaign’s success, EGBA Secretary-General Maarten Haijer said that the campaign has been a success in its most recent iteration and that the association had learned important lessons. The increase in participation has been another encouraging trend to observe.

Regulators Play an Increasing Role in Steering RG Campaign Efforts

Stronger interest from regulators and health organizations has shown the importance of the ESGW24 and its ability to generate targeted interest from key decision-makers and industry stakeholders.

“Through this collaboration, we’ve reached a record number of Europeans with crucial safety messages during the campaign. Together, we’re making gambling safer, and we already look forward to building on this success in next year’s edition,” Haijer wrapped up.

Despite the encouraging results, EGBA has openly questioned its ability to affect public opinion of gambling. In other words, EGBA cannot help solve the “image issue” the organization faces, Haijer said last month.

EGBA has been particularly active in addressing local markets and their gambling rules, urging lawmakers, regulators, and the industry to act in accord to eliminate the clout of black market operations that continue to cannibalize a significant part of online gambling traffic.