The Responsible Gaming Foundation (RGF) exhibited with its booth at the Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Exhibition BEGE 2022, held on November 23rd and 24th at the Inter Expo Center in Sofia. Its representatives took part in a panel at the accompanying Eastern European Gaming Industry Conference.

The guests and visitors of the trade show had the opportunity to get acquainted with the Foundation’s goals and share ideas on the implementation of future projects and partnerships.

“The Responsible Gaming Initiative was initiated by the Bulgarian Trade Association of Gaming Industry Producers and Organisers (BTAPOII), now the Gaming Industry Association of Bulgaria, in 2008,” said Mrs Rosie McKee, founder of the Responsible Gaming Foundation during the Responsible Gaming panel held on the second day of the Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS).

” The subject has been very relevant in the last few years, and we are glad that it has been embedded in the Foundation’s principles for a long time,” she added. Mrs McKee explained that systematically exploring the issue leads to the most appropriate way to address it. Meanwhile, examining the issue’s historical, economic, social and psychological aspects will contribute to the development and implementation of appropriate prevention programs.

“Responsible gambling programs are prevention programs. They are designed for the operators` entire customer base, and the goal is to stop the potential development of problematic behaviour in the first place,” Mrs McKee added. 

The Responsible Gaming panel was moderated by Dan Ilovici, Vice-President of the Romanian Rombet Association. Among the participants were Zoran Puhac, Secretary General of EOGL; Vasko Ilievski, President of Macedonian Sports Betting Association; Tatiana Scepanovic, Secretary General at Montenegro Bet and Adriana Basara, ALPIS (Bosnia and Herzegovina). All participants agreed that the foundation of addiction prevention is public awareness, with a particular focus on the youth.