Report
Progress Report on the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms
ABSG progress report 2020
Prevention and education
The National Strategy seeks a clear collective prevention plan, applying the right mix of interventions and targeting prevention activity where it will have the most impact.
Prevention and Education – Summary of progress
Strengths
- Strengthened LCCP requirements – banning the use of credit cards for online gambling, stronger customer interaction requirements and mandating membership of GAMSTOP.
- Action by banks and financial sector to offer transaction blocking – and partnership work with Money and Mental Health Institute.
- City-wide public health prevention programmes with involvement of people with lived experience launched in Glasgow and Greater Manchester.
- Activity piloted to raise awareness of risks of gambling in children and young people – e.g. ParentZone, FastForward, Programme-A, YGAM and PSHE Association.
- Public Health England are conducting an evidence review – which is a key step to determining the role to be played by statutory bodies in England.
Weaknesses
- Lack of prevention, early stage detection of harms and evaluation of outcomes.
- Limited action required to address suicide prevention.
- Lack of whole systems public health approach.
- More action required to reduce risks to children and young people – e.g. greater focus on gambling-like features within video games.
- Inconsistent local authority level data on which to base targeted interventions.
- Much activity is still at pilot stage and, if evaluation proves they are effective, challenges to spread and scalability.
- Delays to the publication of evidence reviews and subsequent actions
Summary of progress
Last updated: 18 August 2021
Show updates to this content
No changes to show.