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  3. Reducing gambling harms

Strategic Priority

Prevention and education

Towards a collective and clear prevention plan applying the right mix of interventions.

A good prevention plan includes the right mix of programmes and activities at population level, down to individual level:

  • universal measures for the benefit of the whole population
  • selective measures for groups who may be more at risk of gambling harms
  • indicated measures for individuals who are more at risk of gambling harms.

Many different organisations are running programmes and developing new projects to test new ways to prevent gambling harms.

We need to know more about the effectiveness of different actions in preventing gambling harms, so that we can focus more on what works and move away from what isn’t working as well.

We know that people experience gambling harms in different ways.

Adult harms fall into three categories:

  • health
  • relationships
  • resources and, or as well as, financial.

For children and young people, gambling harms not only affect how they currently feel, but can also affect their future development and potential.

We will add work by Public Health England and the National Institute for Health Research to our current evidence on prevention options and how we can deliver them.

Treatment and support

Progress towards truly national treatment and support options that meet the needs of current and future service users.

The main aim for treatment and support is to ensure that anyone who needs support can get it in the right place at the right time.

This requires greater access to relevant treatment, better care pathways, and support for people experiencing other issues alongside gambling harms.

Most treatment for gambling harm is funded and organised by GambleAware (opens in new tab), paid for by voluntary donations from the gambling industry. Some support comes through networks like Gamblers Anonymous (opens in new tab) and other support groups, and some treatment comes through the NHS (opens in new tab).

Based on the data we have, we know that as few as 2% of problem gamblers may be in treatment.

We require more face-to-face treatment as well as different treatment options. We also need to know more about the reasons why so few people who need treatment, find and receive treatment. We need to ensure that treatment is measured, inspected and of high quality.

Finally, we need to make it easier for the healthcare workforce to spot the signs of gambling harm, and help people to get the support that they need.

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Last updated: 1 February 2021

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