Responsible gambling is more than just a buzz phrase – it's what we do every day

Today marks the beginning of Responsible Gambling Week, a cross-industry initiative to promote safer betting.

Sometimes programmes like this can feel like lip service, something betting operators and others dream up because they know they ought to and think it will impress moralistic politicians. But responsible gambling is a real thing, not a buzz phrase designed to appease the puritanical.

Responsible gambling is what millions of racing and sports fans, including me, engage in every day. It's the age-old, treasured practice of studying the form, making our choice and sticking money we can ultimately afford to lose on it.

We bet because we enjoy the puzzle of form study, the thrill of having something on the line and the buzz of being proved right. When we win, the profit is a welcome bonus; when we lose, that's a fair price to pay for the enjoyment we derive from betting.

For the overwhelming majority, gambling is this responsible activity, but for a small minority it becomes something else entirely. Like many other things, when done to excess and without constraint, betting can ruin lives.

Importantly, the betting industry is more aware of this, and their responsibility to customers, than ever before. Concerted efforts to protect the vulnerable are being implemented – although, of course, there's always more that can, and should, be done.

And it's important that we, as punters, understand the warning signs and support available, so that whether betting is our hobby, release or profession, we remain in control and continue to enjoy the thrill of a punt.

Over the next week we'll be carrying a number of responsible gambling-themed articles from a diverse array of voices: we'll hear from, among others, a betting industry chief executive, a former gambling addict and those involved on the frontline of addiction treatment.

I hope you enjoy the articles and find them informative, interesting and useful.

If you are concerned about your gambling and are worried you may have a problem, click here to find advice on how you can receive help