IGRG appoints new chairman

The recently formed UK Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) has named Barry Hardy as its new chairman.

The IGRG was formed in March 2014 and comprises the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB); British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA); The Bingo Association (BA); National Casino Forum (NCF); and Remote Gambling Association (RGA).  It provides a cross-sector forum to consider matters of common interest associated with the three licensing objectives in Section 1 of the Gambling Act 2005, including responsible gambling.

“Our original intention was to rotate the chairmanship on an annual basis between each of the trade associations, but we soon decided that it would be beneficial to have an independent chairman if a suitable candidate could be identified and Barry fits the bill perfectly,” commented Clive Hawkswood, Chairman of the Group.

“I and my trade association colleagues were obviously delighted when he agreed to accept our invitation. I am sure we will all work well together as we take forward a range of initiatives that are currently being finalised.”

Commenting on his appointment, Hardy said: ‘The wider gambling industry has done much over the years to promote socially responsible gambling and those developments should be acknowledged. However, we must proactively strive to identify and implement further improvements where we can.

“The IGRG has unmatched reach across the UK gambling industry and I have been pleasantly surprised by how well the associations have been working together. I am very much looking forward to the coming months as we begin to do more detailed work in areas such as staff training, customer interaction, and messaging.”

A Chartered Accountant, Hardy has been involved in the Leisure and Gaming Industry since 1975. He serves as a Non-Executive Director of Gala Coral Group; chairman of Regency Casinos in Greece; and a Non-Executive Director of Peermont.

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