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GamCare has published its annual report and financial statements, signed by the board of trustees of the problem gambling treatment support charity.
The 2022/2023 period represents GamCare’s 25th year delivering frontline treatment support services such as its 24/7 National Gambling Helpline, family counselling and youth programmes.
Expanding its services, GamCare has taken on the role of system coordinator appointed by GambleAware of the UK’s National Gambling Support Network (NGSN).
The role sees GamCare provide NGSN organisations and stakeholders with clinical facilities, gambling harm data insights and operational support to ensure the NGSN provides immediate intervention for those suffering harms.
As system coordinator of the NGSN, GamCare recognises that UK gambling stands at a point of inflection, as the government proceeds to overhaul industry laws and standards under the remit of the Gambling Act Review.
“GamCare has shared our deep sector expertise and championed an evidence-based approach to regulation,” read a statement by Chair Margot Daly.
“In particular, we highlighted the importance of funding for Research, Education and Training (RET), so we welcomed the clarity provided by the Gambling White Paper when it was published in April 2023.”
Further transformative events saw GamCare change leadership in April, as Anna Hemmings ended her five-year tenure as CEO. The charity is currently led by D’Arcy Myers as interim CEO, as the Board of Trustees conducts an executive search for a new leader.
Activity and Impact
2022/2023 saw the National Gambling Helpline record its highest level of usage since the service was founded, registering over 44,000 calls and online chats, a 4.7% increase on the previous year (42,070 calls).
Providing a breakdown of interventions, Gamcare assisted 9,009 people with structured treatment sessions or EBIs (Extended Brief Interventions), as a total of 38,456 treatment sessions were undertaken during the year.
Insights on demographics saw the majority of those in treatment were white (86%), Asian British (7%). 7 in 10 people contacting the helpline identified as men (68%), 30% identified as women, while 2% identified as ‘transgender or other gender’.
Of those seeking treatment, 87% did so for their own gambling issues, while 13% sought help due to someone else’s gambling, with the predominant effects of gambling being anxiety/stress (80%), financial difficulties (72%), depression/low mood (62%), and family/relationship difficulties (54%).
Feedback on services, saw 99% of individuals detail that they would recommend GamCare’s treatment, 71% successfully finished their treatment sessions, whilst 92% completed the extended brief interventions with success.
Education and Outreach
During 2022/2023, GamCare teams delivered training to 15,000 adults, as awareness workshops were conducted for 45,562 young people, marking a 60% increase from the previous year.
Further outreach saw 64,374 individuals trained in gambling awareness, 15,956 were trained to work with at-risk groups, 45,562 attended education/training workshops, and 2,856 staff from the financial and gambling sectors also received training.
Key projects and collaborations were maintained with the Criminal Justice System and the Women’s Programme, which helped deliver training to 7,400 professionals, dealing directly with harms.
GamCare – High Impact Charity
Concluding the report Margot Daly, Chair of Trustees, underlined that GamCare continued its founding objective to break down barriers for people to access quality support on gambling harms.
“In the year that GamCare reached 25 years as an organisation, it is heartening to see so much work being done to support people through gambling harms,” she commented.
“We’ve taken significant steps towards putting gambling harms treatment and support on the map and encouraging more people to come forward for help. We look forward to building further our impact in the year ahead and continuing the important work that the third-sector delivers towards reducing gambling harms in Great Britain.”
