Progress Report 2019/2020 released

We have published our Office of Responsible Gambling Progress Report 2019/2020.

The annual progress report measures and tracks progress as we deliver on the Strategic Plan 2018-2021. It helps hold the Office accountable for the goals we have set ourselves in the plan.

Our Strategic Plan guides the Office’s work over the priority areas of research, education and awareness, technology and innovation, support services and partnerships.

Some of our achievements include:

• The Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) research was published. This research will contribute to the review and improvement of the RCG training and changes in RCG policy and practices in NSW venues.
• The Gambling Research Capacity Grants program was developed, with two post-doctoral fellowships and three PhD scholarships awarded.
• Two rounds of Odds on Youth were delivered in Inner West Sydney and South West Sydney, with grant funding of $420,000 awarded to nine organisations for projects targeting diverse populations.
• Our 2019 awareness week saw 75,000 visits to the Checkmates campaign platform and 80,000 plays of the Bet and Bust game.
• The Office started developing a new digital platform to support the NSW community to access gambling support and treatment services. It is set to be launched in 2020-21.
• Gambling Help services supported over 6,200 people in 2019/20, with services across NSW delivering over 34,600 counselling sessions through telephone, online and face-to-face channels. Gambling Help services continued to support the community throughout Covid-19.
• A two-year strategic partnership with Cricket NSW was developed to address the normalisation of sports betting and raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling.