Gambling Treatment Groups Call for New Research in UK Inquiry

The **Ministry of Culture, Media, and Sport** (DCMS) **Gaming** Inquiry: Treatment groups are advocating for fresh research.

Gordon Moody, GamCare, and GambleAware, organizations that offer **gambling treatment** services, have highlighted the necessity for novel research methodologies in their testimony before the Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) **Gambling Regulation** Select Committee.

The Select Committee, which was formed last December, has cautioned that more needs to be undertaken to safeguard individuals. The committee will examine the government’s approach to **gambling regulation**, as well as related matters such as innovation within the industry and the connection between broadcasting and sports.

The Committee’s work is distinct from the **Gambling Act Review**, which is the government’s formal process for developing new **gambling legislation** for the “digital age”. This long-awaited outcome, the **Gambling Act Review White Paper**, was released at the end of last month and proposed a number of specific policy suggestions.

“Standing still”
Individuals representing treatment organizations have responded to some of the criticisms that have been made following the publication of the White Paper.

These factors include the quantity of submitted consultation proposals, the relative absence of gambling marketing efforts, and the numerous postponements that occurred during the publication of this document.

“Throughout the past year, as the white paper has undergone numerous revisions, it has actually made it very challenging for us to provide services,” stated Hickey.

Matthew Hickey, the chief executive officer of gambling treatment provider Gordon Moody, specifically highlighted that this “holding pattern” phase of the white paper delays has had a detrimental effect on his organization’s operations.

The incidence of gambling harm appears to be increasing.
One matter of concern for the committee is that the prevalence of gambling addiction appears to be on the rise, as indicated by the demand for services through treatment providers.

While all representative charities were careful to state that this could be a consequence of heightened public awareness of treatment, the possibility of a higher absolute rate of addiction was not excluded.

“We have observed an increase in the number of applications to our organization over the past several years,” said Hickey. “We have witnessed an increase in the number of applications from approximately 500 per year prior to the pandemic to approximately 250 per year during the pandemic, to nearly 1,000 in the most recent fiscal year.”

Enhanced public awareness of treatment services

So, why is this important? Well, initially, we’ve heightened awareness, we believe there’s a general public understanding that treatments are accessible,” he stated.

“If 400,000 individuals declare themselves as problem gamblers, or 1.4 million individuals declare themselves as problem gamblers, we theorize – and I stress the word theorize – that there are many more individuals out there who require assistance, either they don’t recognize they need assistance, or they’re concealing their dependency, and only come forward when they’re truly in a difficult situation.”

In the meantime, GambleAware’s Chief Commissioning Officer, Anne Hargreaves, characterized the issue as a public health concern. She emphasized that estimations of gambling harm vary significantly, thus advocating for more research to address this matter.

The UK Gambling Commission is presently developing a new harm survey to gain a better comprehension of the prevalence of gambling harm in the UK.

Gambling’s Influence on Minorities
Hargreaves also indicated that gambling affects diverse demographic groups differently, and these groups have varying rates of seeking treatment services.

“While minority ethnic communities are less likely to engage in gambling, they experience greater harm when they do,” she remarked. “While in the UK white community, gambling harm is around 20%, in minority ethnic communities, it escalates to approximately 40%.”

Its clear that we’re not getting through to everyone who requires assistance. This is why our anti-discrimination campaign is so critical. It aids in raising awareness and encouraging individuals to voice their concerns. Only then can we truly comprehend the extent of the issue.

Anna Hemmings, the leader of GamCare, a treatment and awareness organization, also emphasized that the problem manifests differently in various locations and for diverse groups of individuals.

“Estimates regarding the prevalence of this issue vary significantly. We require further research to understand its widespread nature within the entire population and its impact on different demographics,” she stated.

“It could be distinct groups of people or different regions of the nation. We observe that the individuals who contact our helpline are primarily young, with approximately 60% being under 35, indicating that age is also a contributing factor.”

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