GamCare calls for more efforts to tackle youth problem gambling

Gambling harm awareness charity GamCare has called for more efforts to raise awareness about problem gambling among university students and announced the launch of a new project aimed at helping them to deal with the issue.

As universities welcome new cohorts of first-year students, GamCare has been promoting its ‘BigDeal’ campaign which promotes awareness of gambling harms among students and young adults. Through its website, the campaign offers support and information relating to gambling targeted towards students.

The charity’s decision to emphasise the problem follows the publication of a study by the Gambling Commission. As well as finding that younger people tended to become more exposed to gambling after getting to university, this study also suggested that almost 25% of student gamblers were at risk of developing problematic habits.

To complement its stepping up of the BigDeal campaign, GamCare has also announced the establishment of a new Young Adults Advisory Board to raise awareness of problem gambling among 18- to 25-year-olds. This will take the form of a three-month project during which students will be able to work with the charity to develop a new project designed to help more people their age become better educated about the issue.

People aged 18 to 25 are invited to join the board and offer their own insights. In return, GamCare says, the programme offers valuable experience which could be used to help with things like coursework, portfolios and Universal Credit hours. GamCare will also cover all participants’ expenses.

Speaking about GamCare’s latest steps, Alexa Roseblade, GamCare senior programme manager, said: “During this time of transition many young people are entering environments where gambling can be the norm — but there’s a lack of knowledge on how to recognise gambling harm or know where to turn to for support.

“There are many key drivers that contribute to this issue amongst students — having more time, personal independence or financial freedom with easy access to overdrafts and loans can encourage increased gambling behaviours.”

Matt Burgiss, in charge of education and training for the South East and East of England regions, stressed the importance of better education about problem gambling. Burgiss commented: “Together with parents and professionals working with young people, we can give them the facts they need to make the best decisions for themselves, and we can work on changing opinions about gambling for the better.”

The GamCare team is clearly genuinely interested in helping students to better understand gambling harms, and the opportunity to take part in its new Advisory Board looks like an ideal chance for students to make a direct impact on tailoring a programme developed for their age group. With other services like GamTalk already providing support and advice directed at younger gamblers, the introduction of more awareness-raising programmes can only be a good thing. Unlike the direct imposition of protective measures like loss limits by gambling operators, the provision of education services is probably more likely to make people aware of what to actually look out for with regard to gambling harms.