New online resource via Racing2Learn launched to coincide with Safer Gambling Week and aims to promote safer gambling for the sport and the next generation
The education charity Racing to School has worked alongside the BHA to create a new learning resource focused on promoting safe and responsible gambling. The Racing2Learn module also addresses young people’s relationship with gambling and its links with gaming.
This free on-line course takes around 30 minutes to complete and aims to equip learners with knowledge and understanding of the BHA’s rules on gambling for licensed individuals, so too an overview on the issue of problem gambling and its associated harms. As the interactive course unfolds, participants are provided with a list of resources available to those affected in this way, and a range of organisations that offer support.
John Blake, Chief Executive of Racing to School, said:
“The charity is grateful to the BHA for supporting this work, which we believe is one small opportunity for racing to take a confident position on issues around safe and responsible gambling. The idea was for the course to act as a reminder around the guidelines that serve the integrity of the sport but to go beyond that by provoking some thinking around gambling’s impact in wider society.
“Why shouldn’t racing be a leader in educating young people around informed gambling choices as part of the sport’s on-going commitment to responsible gambling, entwined with the work to welcome the next generation of racing fans.
“We were never going to skirt around the potential harms while pointing to the strong support and advice network that is close to hand. This module is a vital first step of our work in this area, and we plan to expand our education programmes to feature the intrinsic and positive relationship between gambling and racing.”
Will Lambe, Executive Director of the BHA, added:
“Responsible gambling is an important topic for our sport and our industry, and education can be a hugely influential tool in ensuring those who bet on British racing do so safely.
“We are fortunate to have Racing2Learn as a resource, providing in-depth remote learning opportunities on an extensive range of areas, and I would encourage all those interest to explore it further.”
Racing to School, in association with the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), delivered two pilot workshops last year aimed at educating young people on the relationship between gaming and gambling, as a way of raising their awareness about related harms and sources of help. The charity is now committed to growing this programme to deliver education aimed at promoting safe and responsible gambling to more of its beneficiaries, with delivery staff already having completed a series YGAM training courses.
Launched by the BHA earlier this year, Racing2Learn is an online e-learning platform for anyone involved with the racing and Thoroughbred breeding industries. This free course is designed to inform anyone who works in or is involved with racing, and awards 1 ½ CPD points for pass marks over 70%. Learners will receive an eCertificate on completion, verified by 1st4Sport and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). Racing2Learn also provides a wide range of other free courses to learn more about aspects of the racing industry.
