The **Ministry of Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS)** Gambling Inquiry: Treatment groups are demanding new studies.
Gambling treatment organizations **Gordon Moody, GamCare, and GambleAware** highlighted the need for innovative research methods during the oral evidence session of the **Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) Gambling Regulation Select Committee**.
The **Select Committee**, which was established last December, cautioned that “more needs to be done” to protect individuals. The group will examine the government’s approach to gambling regulation, as well as related matters such as technological advancements in 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 official process for developing new gambling laws for the “digital age.” This long-awaited document, the **Gambling Act Review White Paper**, was published last month and suggested some specific policy proposals.
Individuals representing treatment organizations responded to some of the criticisms that followed the release of the White Paper.
These matters include the quantity of proposals submitted for review, the relative lack of progress on gambling marketing, and the numerous postponements in the publication of the document.
“The white paper has undergone various revisions over the past year, which has made it very challenging for us to effectively provide our services,” stated Hickey.
Matthew Hickey, the head of the gambling treatment provider Gordon Moody, specifically highlighted the “stagnant” phase of the white paper delays as having a detrimental effect on their organization’s efforts.
A distinct upward trend in gambling harm
One concern the committee emphasized was the apparent increase in the prevalence of gambling dependency, as measured by the demand for services through treatment providers.
Although all charities represented were hesitant to state that this could be a consequence of increased public awareness of treatment, they did not dismiss the possibility of a higher absolute rate of dependency.
“We have observed an increase in the number of applications to our organization over the past few years,” said Hickey. “We have witnessed the number of applications rise 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
The reason? Well, firstly, we’ve heightened public understanding, and we believe the public is generally cognizant of the existence of treatments,” he stated.
“If 400,000 individuals assert they are problematic gamblers, or 1.4 million individuals assert they are problematic gamblers, we theorize—and I stress the word theorize—that there are many more individuals who require assistance, who either don’t recognize they require assistance or are concealing their addiction, only coming forward when they’re truly in a state of crisis.”
In the meantime, GambleAware’s chief executive, Anna Hargrave, characterized the issue as a public health concern. She highlighted that estimations of gambling harm fluctuate considerably, thus advocating for more research to tackle the issue.
The UK Gambling Commission is presently developing a novel harm survey to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of gambling harm within the UK.
Gambling’s Influence on Minorities
Hargrave also brought to light that the impact of gambling varies substantially across diverse population segments, and their rates of seeking treatment services differ.
“While minority ethnic groups are less likely to engage in gambling, they experience greater harm,” she remarked. “While within the UK white community, gambling harm is approximately 20%, within minority ethnic communities, it escalates to around 40%.”
Its clear we haven’t connected with everyone who needs our help. That’s why our anti-stigma initiative is so vital in raising awareness and encouraging people to share their experiences. Only then can we truly grasp the extent of the issue.
Anna Hemmings, the head of GamCare, also highlighted that the frequency of the problem varies significantly based on location and population characteristics.
“Estimates of how widespread the issue is differ greatly, and we need more research to first understand how common it is in the general population, and how it affects specific groups,” she stated.
“This could be different communities or different parts of the country – the prevalence changes across the nation. We’ve actually observed that people contacting our hotline are generally young, with about 60% under 35, so age is also a contributing factor.”
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