Better Gambling Forum publishes UN report on harm framework

The Better Gambling Forum has published its United Nations report, setting out a six-pillar framework that it wants regulators, operators and health bodies to adopt as a shared standard for reducing gambling harm.

The forum was launched as an initiative of the Brain Capital Alliance, working alongside international bodies including the G7/G20, the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, according to iGaming Business. Its stated purpose is to give regulators, operators, researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers a single reference point for player protection across different markets.

Central to that work is the draft Responsible Gambling Practice and Policy Pillars framework, known as RG3P, which the forum intends as a future benchmark covering responsible gambling policy, public awareness, treatment services and regulatory standards. It is pitched at both newer and more established gambling markets, with the aim of helping each adopt measures already shown to work and refine them over time.

The newly adopted UN report grew out of the BGF Collaborative Event held in New York City in September 2025. The draft that followed went through two rounds of stakeholder consultation, including a webinar held in May 2026, before the final version was published, iGaming Business reported.

The forum frames gambling as both a public health and a brain health issue rather than purely a matter of individual responsibility. Its framework calls for coordinated action across government, industry, healthcare, research and community organisations, with the goal of making gambling environments safer while keeping support available for those who run into problems.

Rather than backing outright prohibition, which some jurisdictions have pursued, the BGF argues that regulation should aim to reduce harm while still letting consumers who enjoy gambling continue to do so.

The RG3P framework rests on six pillars. The first covers education and informed choice, focusing on how clearly players understand risks and odds, and on prevention before harm occurs. The second addresses risk detection and intervention, including the use of tools to spot harmful patterns early through behavioural monitoring.

The third pillar concerns support, treatment and recovery, with an emphasis on linking gambling-specific help to wider health services rather than treating it in isolation. The fourth covers the design of gambling products, venues and marketing, including how games are built and how players move through them, with a requirement that advertising does not target vulnerable groups.

The fifth pillar deals with ethical conduct and accountability across the industry, pushing operators to put player welfare at the centre of decision-making and show measurable commitments to protection. The sixth covers research, evaluation and sustainable funding, with the forum stressing that evidence needs to be translated into practical policy rather than left as academic output.

iGaming Business notes that one of the central problems the framework is meant to address is the inconsistency of responsible gambling standards between jurisdictions, with some markets far more developed in their approach than others.