More people in the UK sought gambling treatment and support—for their gambling or someone else’s—over the last fiscal year, according to leading gambling harm prevention charity GambleAware. But, while the increased demand is something to watch, the report also offered a silver lining: treatments appear effective for those who reach out.
For American policymakers, the UK can serve as a sort of crystal ball, offering a glimpse into one possible future. Whereas legal sports betting and online gambling are novelties in the US, the UK has one of the most mature markets in Europe, so the positive and negative consequences of gambling expansion have had more time to develop there. Problem gambling treatment is still grossly underfunded in most US states, so the increasing reliance on such services overseas is something to keep an eye on.
The latest National Gambling Support Network (NGSN) report showed a 12% increase in demand for gambling harm treatments overall. However, approximately half the lift comes from including a new service provider—the Primary Care Gambling Service (PCGS)—in the data reporting framework. Also, for the first time, GambleAware, the “strategic commissioner of gambling harm research, education, support, and treatment across Great Britain,” widened the network’s treatment focus.
Commenting on the changes, Anna Hargrave, GambleAware’s chief commissioning and strategy officer, said:
In 2023, we launched new commissioning arrangements that expanded the NGSN’s scope to include prevention and early intervention, in addition to treatment. This means that our services are now working much more closely with local communities, reducing stigma and removing the barriers to accessing treatment.
Not only have we reached more people, we have been able to identify and support people at a much earlier stage and that is part of the reason why we have seen an increase in people receiving treatment and support.
NGSN Offers Interconnected Gambling Supports
Known formerly as the National Gambling Treatment Service, the NGSN is open to anyone in Great Britain seeking support for gambling harm. The network offers Britons a “connected and well-funded support system” with “consistently” short wait times to address gambling prevention and early intervention.
According to GambleAware, over 52,000 British citizens call the National Gambling Helpline each year, and many follow up with treatment through the NGSN.
Wait Times Typically Short
As detailed in the latest report, almost 11,000 UK residents received support or treatment between April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. Of those, nearly 7,500 partook in “structured treatment,” including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), one-on-one support, or residential care.
Just over half of treatment referrals came through the national helpline; otherwise, self-referral (23%) and the NGSN (11%) drove involvement. Further, as noted above, wait times are generally short, with half of clients receiving a first appointment within six days of first contact and three-quarters within twelve.
Notably, this iteration of the report is the first to track the 3,291 people who received early interventions. Of those, almost 3,050 transitioned into one or more of the more structured treatment options noted above. All in all, approximately 95% of those seeking help utilized these higher levels of care.
On average, treatment lasted ten weeks and six appointments for those who ended care in 2023/24, with three-fifths completing their scheduled treatment plan. However, approximately one-third dropped out before their scheduled endpoint.
More ‘Affected Others’ Engaging with Supports
Of those seeking help, two-thirds of those who gambled reported gambling-related debt, and a quarter said their gambling led to relationship loss. Another 11% said they’d lost a job due to their gambling problem. On average, players seeking help had started gambling about a decade earlier.
Noted above, about 15% of clients engaged in structured therapies were “affected others,” there to address someone else’s gambling—a 2% increase over the five-year average.
Overall, 70% of clients receiving support identified as male, though this number jumped 9% when looking at clients who gambled. Conversely, women made up approximately 76% of those looking for help with the gambling of a partner or family member. This finding suggests that the gambling industry needs to widen its focus when considering the impacts of gambling harms beyond just account holders.
Treatment Leads to Improvements for Most
In brighter news, Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) scores for those who gamble left improved for 87% of clients overall and 95% of those who completed their treatment course. Among those who dropped out early, nearly three-fifths still registered improvements.
Further, when treatment wrapped, 69% of gambling clients’ Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation 10 (CORE-10) scores fell “below clinical cut-off,” compared to only a quarter at the start. Core-10 is a 10-item assessment measure used to track symptoms of psychological distress in mental health settings throughout treatment. Overall, 88% of those who completed treatment saw Core-10 improvements, compared to 68% of those who exited treatment early.
PCGS director, Professor Dame Clare Gerada, extolled the benefits of the NGSN for those negatively affected by gambling:
We work closely with third-sector organisations and charities to care for patients and their affected others experiencing gambling-related harms. Working as part of the National Gambling Support Network (NGSN), we share our clinical expertise and skills in gambling-related harm to those network members and learn from each other. This allows us to enhance the care all of us can provide to patients and ensures those experiencing gambling harm receive the most appropriate care and support when needed.
GambleAware Welcomes UK Gov’s Mandatory Levy
Hargrave also shared her thoughts on the UK government’s mandatory levy on gambling operators and new limits on online slot stakes, which Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross officially announced yesterday.
We look forward to the introduction of the statutory levy on gambling operators and the future gambling harms commissioning system, and we will continue to work in partnership with all those in the sector including the NHS.
Under the UK’s existing voluntary system, not all gambling companies contribute equally to research, prevention, and treatment.
As the announcement explains, the new mandatory levy is the government’s attempt to ensure all operators contribute equitably.
The landmark levy will be charged to all licensed operators and will guarantee increased, ringfenced and consistent funding to prevent and tackle gambling harm.
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