GamCare has revealed that the number of calls and online chats to the National Gambling Helpline reached their highest level through 2022/23, as the charity looks ahead to new beginnings.
Margot Daly, Chair of Trustees, also noted that reaching a 25 year milestone is not merely the time to reflect but to look ahead to “the beginning of a new era”, as a 2022/23 annual report is published.
In addition to reflecting on the launch of an array of new products, services and initiatives over the years, GamCare noted that over 44,000 calls and online chats were made across the year, which represents a 4.7 per cent year-on-year increase.
Additional findings revealed that 9,009 people attended structured treatment sessions or extended brief interventions, with 38,456 treatment sessions undertaken in total.
Seven in 10 people that contacted the National Gambling Helpline identified as men (68 per cent), whereas 30 per cent identified as women and two per cent identified as ‘transgender or other gender’.
Furthermore, 87 per cent utilising treatment services reported doing so for their own gambling, with 13 per cent doing so due to somebody else’s gambling.
Regarding those individuals that self-reported, the most common impact was anxiety/stress (80 per cent), followed by financial difficulties (72 per cent), depression/low mood (62 per cent) and family/relationship difficulties (54 per cent).
In addition to this, education and training services were said to have delivered to over 15,000 adults, with awareness workshops reaching 45,562 young people, up 60 per cent year-on-year.
Work within the criminal justice system, in addition to the charity’s Women’s Programme, helped to train over 7,430 professionals.
“Building on recent achievements, the charity is in exceptional shape to deliver on its mission of supporting more people harmed by gambling and minimising gambling-related harm. We have a clear plan to further deliver on GamCare’s four strategic ambitions in 2023/24,” Daly commented as she took a look into the future.
“GamCare continues to grow our engaged, inclusive workforce and will invest further in digital service provision. We will continue to focus on the security of ever-more sustainable funding and building GamCare’s profile across the range of audiences who need our services and those who support the charity’s valuable work.
“We are taking important steps to ensure that GamCare’s free services reach people who are currently under-represented within the treatment and support sector. As well as maintaining the charity’s focus on service delivery excellence and reducing barriers to accessing support, the charity is looking to the horizon.
“As we appoint a new CEO to lead this vital work, they will come on board at the right moment to build on GamCare’s strengths and success to date, joining a strong and experienced board and executive team, ready to steward GamCare to the next stage in our development and service provision.”
