GamCare launches dedicated women’s support chatroom

GamCare has announced the launch of its new ‘Women’s Chatroom‘ to provide a safe and confidential online environment for women affected by problem gambling. 

The new facility was officially launched on Tuesday 18 July, providing lived-experience support to women seeking help/care regarding their own or others’ problem gambling concerns.

The initiative forms part of GamCare’s treatment strategy as the chatroom aims to connect, support, and enable the sharing of stories between women in similar positions.

On an annual basis, the charity’s National Gambling Helpline assists over 40,000 people, 30% of whom are women.

The chatroom intends to tackle feelings of guilt and shame associated with gambling issues while reinforcing the fact that users are not alone.

It will host semi-structured sessions every Tuesday from 7-8pm for six weeks, each week focusing on a different theme. 

Week one is titled Introduction: Gambling & The Woman. It will be followed by Gambling & The Mind in week two; Gambling & Relationships in week three; Gambling & The Self in week four; Gambling and Recovery in week five; and Gambling & Letting Go in the final week. 

Users wanting to join the chatroom need to register with a username, email, and first name. GamCare noted that only the username will be publicly visible, ensuring anonymity for its users.

The concept of a women’s chatroom was previously trialled by GamCare support teams during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

GamCare support explained: “We understand it can be challenging to take those first steps to get support with your gambling. We know that you might experience feelings of shame, or guilt. Many other women feel like this, you’re not alone.”