Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association Opens a Local Gambling Foundation

The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) has completed all preparations for the set-up, formation and launch of the Gibraltar Gambling Care Foundation (GGCF) as a charity organization.

According to the official plan, GGCF will have several goals, including the funding of research into areas that provide consumers, industry leaders, and regulators with useful knowledge about several important fields: minimizing gambling harm; reduction of gambling disorders and protection of risk consumers.

The GGCF will be operated independently from the GBGA with the of councilors Stephen Reyes and Selvan Soobiah, while Belvedere Trustees Limited will work as a corporate councilor. The Association will mainly fund research that will be organized at the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming (CERG) set up by the University of Gibraltar. The GGCF has more than £2.5 million from Gibraltar gaming enterprises to fund the constitution of the CERG and its funding over the following three years.

Main Objectives of the Organization

Based on the latest announcement, The Gibraltar Gambling Care Foundation will use the funds to conduct research on the following areas:

• the influence of problem gambling on people, families and society and how to mitigate that influence.
• the spread of gambling addiction and other problematic behaviors and possible mitigation factors for prevention
• solutions that gambling operators can apply to reduce the harm connected with problem gambling.
• identification, supervision and measuring for problem gambling and responsible gambling action for avoiding problem gambling.
• the creation and management of a database of gaming industry information that can the research about problem gambling.

Official Statements from the Association

GBGA Chairman Nigel Birrell says that the creation of the new Association is a step-change for all Gibraltar Licensed Operators and the Jurisdiction. The organization raised £2.5 million from Gibraltar Operators to invest in Responsible Gaming Research and Development. It is achieved thanks to the ongoing of the University of Gibraltar. Moreover, The GBGA will the introduction of a research program to minimize gambling-related harm.

He added:

“On behalf of the GBGA, I would also like to thank the Government of Gibraltar and in particular the Minister for Gaming Albert Isola and the Gambling regulator Andrew Lyman for their unwavering and also Peter Montegriffo of Hassans for his assistance in establishing the Foundation.”

Chairman of the Gibraltar Gambling Care Foundation, Stephen Reyes, says that the Foundation is up and running and that it can commence the funding of research of critical areas in the cooperation with the University of Gibraltar. He added:

“Gibraltar is known globally as a premier jurisdiction in the online gambling area, so it is great that as an industry the operators have come together and set up and formed this charitable Foundation to invest in academic research to inform effective initiatives to encourage responsible gambling and prevent gambling harm.”

Source:

“The GBGA is Proud to Announce the Formation of the Gibraltar Gambling Care Foundation”, europeangaming.eu, March 5, 2021.