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“Responsible Gaming” Master class gathered more than 60 professionals from the gaming industry at Grand Hotel Millennium on 21^st November in Sofia. The event was also attended by representatives of the National Revenue Agency, and it accompanies the Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS), which will take place on 23^rd and 24^th of November at Inter Expo Center in the Bulgarian capital.

Proven experts of internationally recognized organizations presented the topic thoroughly and with a practical focus. “Currently this subject is highly topical. It is of crucial importance that the synergy between industry, regulator and society is well balanced in order to provide the consumers healthy and regulated environment where all risks are minimized”, explained Rossi McKee, Chairman of the Board of Responsible Gaming Foundation, which is a partner of the Master class.

Honorary lector of the Master class was Pieter Remmers, Member of the EASG Board and the EEGS Advisory Board. Among the panelists was Anton Mihov, Executive Director of Palms Merkur Casino, and member of Responsible Game Foundation. The psychologists Marina Popova, family consultant of NDAGH, and Svetoslav Kirilov, ARAP Solidarnost, conducted workshops and discussed with participants typical cases of problem gamblers in the work of casino and game hall employees.

“On one hand, responsible gaming are good practices for preventing or reducing the harm of betting, and on the other hand, it is the informed choice to be in safe and supportive conditions”, said Pieter Remmers. The CEO of Palms Merkur Casino – Anton Mihov outlined some of the myths related to the industry and commended: “It is all about preventing and controlling the unreasonable gaming, the benefits of these actions are many and they affect the industry, customers, organizer, and society in its entirety. It is important to build mutual loyalty”.

Responsible Gaming Foundation was founded in 2015. The Master class is the third event within 2022, which the Foundation organizes on topics related to responsible gaming and prevention of gambling addiction.

The Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) is held parallel with the Balkan Entertainment & Gaming Exhibition (BEGE) that will take place on 23^rd and 24^th November at Inter Expo Center, Sofia. EEGS is an initiative of Association of Gaming Industry in Bulgaria (AGIB) and within its framework a special module on responsible gaming will be presented.

The Master class was held with the sponsorship of Palms Bet.

The long-term initiative is launched as a part of the foundation’s participation in the European Safer Gambling Week

Foundation “Responsible Gaming” provides funding to the National Drug, Alcohol and Gambling Helpline. This line is supported by a team of psychologists from the Association for Rehabilitation of Addicted People “Solidarnost”. This funding is one of the initiatives that the Foundation will realize during the European Safer Gambling Week from 17^th to 23^rd of October, an event organized by the European Gaming Betting Association.

“Supporting the National Drug, Alcohol and Gambling Helpline is of great importance to the foundation because our aim is to be as helpful as possible to the people in need. For maximum efficiency, callers should know that the line is free and anonymous. We believe that with this action we are creating proper conditions for the experts to solve problems in time. We will continue support such initiatives, exchange good practices and address new cases towards the psychologists” said Milena Tsnakarska, executive director of Responsible Gaming Foundation.

The National Drug, Alcohol and Gambling Helpline provides several options for prevention and treatment. At the beginning the specialists carefully examine every specific situation and they pay special attention to the family environment. Assistance is provided for both the people seeking help and their relatives.

The anonymity of any caller is guaranteed unless the person himself requests otherwise. You can contact the experts from the Association for Rehabilitation of Addicted People “Solidarnost” at +359888 99 18 66, free of charge from across the country.

The Responsible Gaming Foundation takes part in the initiative of the European Gaming and Betting Association – European Responsible Gaming Week, which starts today and it will continue until 23rd of October.

Within the framework of the initiative, a number of trainings will be held, in which experts from all over the world will participate to share their experience in the gaming sector. Part of the topics to be addressed are: “Online consumer protection: How to promote a safer internet in the EU”, “Monitoring Customer Behaviour: Harnessing Data And Technology To Support Safer Online Gambling”, “Betting integrity and consumer protection”, etc.

The Responsible Gaming Foundation conducted another training for gaming professionals yesterday at the Black and White Club in the Grand Hotel Millenium Sofia. More than 50 people from the gambling industry attended the seminar led by experts from the Association for Rehabilitation of addicts “Solidarity” on “First symptoms of gambling addiction in players at risk. Techniques for intervention that lower the likelihood of developing a gambling addiction”. Lecturers were Svetoslav Kirilov, therapeutic director of “Solidarity” and Marina Popova, psychologist and family consultant at NILNAH.

“We think it’s crucial that the employees of casinos and gambling facilities to be well informed and trained on how to recognize the first signs of addiction among their customers. Therefore, we invited the professionals from Solidarity, whose expertise is unquestionable. The case study solutions that were presented throughout the training with the purpose of improving interpersonal skills were considered extremely helpful by the participants” said Milena Tsankarska, Executive Director of the Responsible Gaming Foundation.

During the training, various case studies were examined, through which real situations were “simulated”. The purpose of the real-life case studies was to help the attendees in the room to get a better grasp of the methods for recognizing the first signs of addiction.

“Responsible Gaming Foundation strives to keep up with the latest global trends in the responsible corporate behavior of the entertainment industry and, along with its partners, to provide quality and practically oriented content to industry professionals,” said Milena Tsankarska. “We hope that this workshop has been as valuable as possible for all participants. However, we do not intend to stop here. We have more events planned for the rest of the year!”, she added.

The Responsible Gaming Foundation presented its first training of the year in June, with the topic “Raising awareness and developing the skills of gambling and casino employees towards ensuring safe gaming.”

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