According to the latest annual statistics from the National Gambling Treatment Service (NGTS), the vast majority of people who completed their gambling treatment schedule in England, Scotland and Wales, improved their behaviour and psychological well-being.
The statistics, which were taken between 2021 and 2022, also showed that 30% of people who stopped receiving treatment opted out before they could finish being treated.
The NGTS, which is commissioned by the GambleAware organisation, also showed that 7,072 people received treatment between April 2021 and March 2022. This figure includes 1,076 people who were directly affected by another person’s gambling.
While 92% of those showed signs of improvement on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, 86% reported a reduction in psychological distress around gambling.
According to the NGTS, with 70% of clients being male, 75% of them were 44 years old or younger. Meanwhile, the proportion of female gambling clients increased from 13% to 21% between 2015 and 2022.
Pokie games represented the most common game type to play among participants, followed by sports betting and casino table games.
In a reaction to the findings, CEO of GambleAware, Zoë Osmond, said, “It is extremely encouraging to see that the National Gambling Treatment Service continues to improve the lives of those who experience gambling harms and remains a highly effective treatment option.
Osmond added, “it is also encouraging to see the fall in those accessing more advanced treatment balanced out with more and more people accessing the helpline and other services as a means of support. Gambling harms can affect anyone and it is important to encourage people to seek support and treatment early on.”
GambleAware’s CEO further explained that the organisation remains “committed to ensuring that we work closely with our partners to understand how we can further optimise uptake and retention.”
In her statement, Osmond also emphasised how GambleAware acknowledges “the urgent need to raise awareness of the service and improve access to it across the diverse range of populations and people that could stand to benefit from treatment.”
How else is Responsible Gambling being promoted?
Responsible Gambling brings together a number of legislative measures and policies aimed at making online gambling safe by maintaining high standards and a safer user experience. For more on this, we invite you to read our Responsible Gambling page.
Apart from GambleAware’s work that raises awareness of Responsible Gambling, earlier in November 2022, UK charity Betknowmore, announced its intention to expand its Work Safe Responsible Gambling Programme that will help companies address gambling problems among industry employees – which is expected to launch in January 2023.
Meanwhile, in October 2022, the Malta Gaming Authority said it was going to introduce detailed Responsible Gambling Player Protection Rules for licensees.
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