The programme, which was launched in April 2020, runs in partnership with regional providers Aquarius, Ara, Beacon and NECA, and trains teachers, youth workers and other professionals to help young people make informed choices about gambling.  

The workshops underscore GamCare’s commitment to preventing gambling-related harms among young people in the UK and are delivered as part of the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme, a partnership between GamCare and Ygam. 

The workshops help to address the reality of gambling problems among young people. Latest statistics reveal that 0.9% of young people are engaged in problematic gambling*, with an additional 2.4% at risk. GamCare's workshops play a vital role in disseminating accurate information about gambling and its associated harms. 

Common themes covered as part of GamCare’s workshops include outlining the negative impact that gambling can have on individuals and families; developing an understanding of how gambling operators use advertising, and encouraging critical thinking when exposed to such promotions; and raising awareness of the support services available. 

25,000 professionals (e.g., teachers, youth workers) have also been trained, ensuring that those in positions of influence are equipped with the skills necessary to address gambling-related issues in the young people they support. 

Alexa Roseblade, Head of Youth at GamCare, comments, "We are incredibly proud of the work the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme has accomplished in raising awareness about the risk and prevalence of gambling for young people. Equipping 100,000 young people with the facts about gambling, supporting them to make informed decisions and giving them the knowledge of where to go if they need help is a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to keep young people safe." 

After attending a workshop, a young person in the Southeast said, “I found the workshop very informative, and it was delivered in an engaging way which made it interesting. I thought that the woman running it did a very good job at keeping our attention and making it as fun as possible.” 

Jacob, a member of GamCare’s Youth Advisory Board, says, “Gambling problems can be difficult to deal with, more difficult if you are a young person. There is a way to tackle these problems and it is very simple: talk about it. Teach if you can, learn if you are able, talking helps us understand.” 

To find out more about how GamCare is helping to educate young people, parents and professionals, visit the Big Deal website and follow Big Deal’s Twitter (@BigDealUK), Facebook (BigDeal.org.uk) and Instagram (bigdealuk) accounts.   

* Gambling Commission’s latest Young People Survey 2022. 

About

GamCare’s Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme (YPGHPP) has now reached over 100,000 young people and 25,000 professionals through its educational workshops. It is the leading programme in the United Kingdom dedicated to educating 11–19-year-olds on the risks associated with gambling, delivered across the United Kingdom (UK) with Ygam.  

 

The Programme builds upon the evidence-based youth programmes that GamCare has led for the last nine years, which grew from the expansion of pilot projects across five regions in 2018 to eight regions in 2019. At inception, the pilots were funded by gambling operators. In its current footprint, funded by the Betting and Gaming Council up to March 2024, the Programme provides gambling harm awareness workshops across the UK. GamCare is currently in discussion with future funding partners to secure the resources post March 2024 to sustain this important and longstanding Programme at scale. 

 

With approximately 80% of professionals lacking specialist gambling harms training (GamCare’s Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme Pre and Post Survey 2020-2023), this vital Programme addresses a significant gap in education, ensuring professionals are well-informed to identify and address gambling-harms. An independent evaluation found the Programme was successful in increasing awareness of gambling harms for both professionals and young people.  

 

In 2022, GamCare, YGAM and Fast Forward created the Effective Gambling Education and Prevention framework to support organisations providing gambling harms prevention sessions.