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GambleAware has spotlighted those who are most at risk of experiencing stigma related to gambling harms.

Commissioned by the gambling support charity, the newly-released research project revealed that women were one of several demographics that are most at risk of experiencing gambling harms stigma, as support catered for women has taken a long time to arrive.

Women also experienced another layer of stigma as “their experiences did not align with the traditional stereotype of a male gambler”.

Other demographics more likely to face greater stigma due to experiencing gambling harms include young people, single people, people with children, people from minority ethnic groups, people from religious groups and people with alcohol and drug-related difficulties.

Tracy Madlin, who has experience of gambling harms, said: “Gambling harms had a terrible effect on my life for many years. But it was really hard for me to reach out for help because of people not understanding gambling harms and there being a stigma around them.

“This made me worried that I was going to be judged if I opened up. I think things wouldn’t have gotten so bad for me if there hadn’t been that stigma around it and I would have been able to get help earlier.

“It was particularly hard for me as a woman, because women who are experiencing gambling harms are seen differently to men in the same situation. I was a mum and a homemaker, so people saw me in a certain way and wouldn’t have expected that I would have been experiencing gambling harm.

“Even when I did reach out for help, I found that there wasn’t much specifically for women. When I first walked into a fellowship looking for help, there were 54 men, and I was the only woman. Now I help run female-preferred groups, but it’s taken a long time to get this kind of help for women.”

Gambling harms stigma research

The studies also revealed how those who are subject to gambling harms stigma can suffer from poor mental health, depression, stress, a lack of self-esteem, reduced confidence and in some cases self-harm.

GambleAware added that the research highlights why stigma campaigns, such as the one launched by the charity back in April this year, are important as they challenge stigmatisation and help people who are suffering to reach out for support.

The research project – published across four reports through the combined efforts of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), the University of Wolverhampton, Liverpool John Moores University and Magenta Research – examines how people in Britain who experience gambling harm are stigmatised and discriminated against.

Here are links to each of the four reports: Quantitative, Qualitative, Synthesis and Discourse.

Analysis was conducted of naturalistic data from online peer support forums, alongside a nationally representative survey of 3,567 people in Great Britain (including people with varying levels of experience of gambling harms).

35 people with gambling harms lived experience were also interviewed, as well as 24 people from groups who had come into contact with people who experience gambling harms, in addition to a discourse analysis exploring how people experiencing gambling harms are presented and perceived in public spaces, such as the media.

Game type and social stigma

The research project found that in-person gambling was associated with higher experienced stigma than online gambling, likely due to it being “a more visible means of gambling”.

In-person betting on football and gaming machines were associated with relatively high levels of experienced stigma, while playing the National Lottery was the least associated with experiences of stigma.

Some participants with experience of gambling harms felt judged and excluded by their family and friends, felt they lost respect in social circles and experienced long periods of estrangement from loved ones.

This resulted in social exclusion for many impacted by gambling harms to various degrees, from no longer receiving messages from family to not speaking to family for several years, contributing to stress, depression, low mood and poor overall mental health.

Previous research from the charity showed that stigma and shame stopped people who suffered from gambling harms from seeking help, as 28% of people who experience problems with gambling hide their activities from their family and friends, while 24% who experience the most serious harm do not seek support due to shame or embarrassment.

“This research shows the devastating impact stigma can have on people’s lives and their mental health,” commented Zoë Osmond OBE, Chief Executive of GambleAware.

“Gambling harms can affect anyone, so we all need to work to remove some of the myths and misconceptions that lead people to judge or discriminate against people experiencing these harms.

“Stigma and the fear of being judged is a powerful barrier which stops people coming forward to get much-needed help, so we need to minimise it and ensure people can feel able to be open with friends and family and others around them.”

Perception

The research project also examined how the general public perceives gambling harms, highlighting that while 90% of people said they would be friends with someone who gambles without issue, the figure drops to 70% when being friends with someone experiencing gambling harms.

In addition, 83% said they would be comfortable working closely with someone who gambled without harm, but the figure declines again to 58% for working with someone experiencing gambling harm.

Research participants felt that the media could do more to change the perception of gambling harms by having more discussions on the variety of harms people who gamble might experience, as well as showing people who have overcome such harms.

However, participants also highlighted how coverage of celebrities sharing their stories of gambling harm in the media helped to raise awareness and understanding of gambling harms in society, reducing stigma.

The gambling industry was also scrutinised for its advertising, as “people with lived experience spoke of being ‘bombarded’ by gambling advertisements, which they felt contributed to stigma” by perceiving gambling as “acceptable, fun and safe”.

The report stated that this contributes to the idea that “most people who gamble do so responsibly, and a few ‘stupid’ individuals are ‘ruining’ it for everyone else”, creating an “us versus them narrative” and leading to the perception of individuals with gambling harms being “a flawed minority”.

Research also suggested that those working in the gambling industry “may be particularly prone to holding stigmatising views about people who experience gambling harms – perhaps due to endorsement of narratives around ‘individual responsibility’ for gambling harms”.

Education

Recommendations on reducing gambling harms stigma were also provided.

This included increasing education on the topic for the public, young people and professionals (such as those working in the NHS or criminal justice system), more employment practices for tackling gambling harm stigma and discrimination, as well as additional research into developing interventions to reduce public and self-stigma.

Educational campaigns were also highlighted to challenge gambling harms stigma beliefs, framing it as a public health issue, emphasising the industry’s responsibility, involving individuals with lived experience in the development and implementation of interventions, as well as avoiding using stigmatising language in public discourse.

Professor Joanne Lloyd, the research project lead at the University of Wolverhampton, noted: “This research demonstrates how detrimental stigma can be for people who experience gambling harms, and highlights how important it is to challenge it.

“We hope that the insights we have gained into how a range of individual and societal factors increase the risk of stigma and associated harm can help direct educational interventions to reduce this harm.”

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched an investigation after a BBC report revealed stark compliance failures at gambling venues in the UK.

An undercover operation undertaken by File on 4 Investigates found that a BBC reporter who had placed himself on a self-exclusion register was able to play on slot machines at four out of five Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) he entered in Portsmouth, England.

Once signed up to a self-exclusion scheme at an AGC, a player’s image should be shared among similar venues within a 1km radius, and any players on the list should be prevented from playing. This distance can be extended further by calling a helpline.

“We take protecting consumers extremely seriously,” a Gambling Commission spokesperson told iGaming Expert. “The results of this BBC investigation are very concerning, and we will be taking urgent steps to investigate what has happened.”

According to the BBC, two of the venues the reporter entered were not signed up to a self-exclusion scheme, breaching one of the conditions of their gaming licence. They have since begun working with a self-exclusion scheme.

There are two self-exclusion schemes that AGCs can join. One called SmartExclusion and another run by Bacta, the trade body for AGC venues.

The UKGC notes that local authorities are responsible for licensing such premises, and part of the licensing fee they charge is used to inspect gambling businesses in regards to their compliance with responsible gambling measures.

Within the BBC report, Tim Miller, Executive Director of the UKGC, committed to “double down” on efforts to ensure that these checks are performed.

“Most of all, we do need to see inspections of those properties,” he told the BBC. “They’re not onerous, for just checking that what [AGCs are] actually doing is what they’re meant to do, and they’re not doing stuff which is marginally illegal.”

AGC scrutiny escalates

These damming findings come at a time when such gambling venues are facing increasing scrutiny from local authorities, who accuse AGCs of targeting the poorest areas of the UK.

In April, a letter addressed to DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed fear that local communities are being overwhelmed by “24-hour slot shops”.

36 councils and two mayors, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, signed the letter calling for “key reforms of the Gambling Act”, which they believe has overlooked community-level concerns about gambling harms.

In particular, leaders are demanding greater local authority control over granting gambling licences to venues.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council and author of the letter, commented: “Communities like Brent are experiencing a surge of land-based gambling operators spreading along our high streets, seemingly targeting areas of higher deprivation to maximise profits. The alarming concentration of these premises often faces strong community opposition, as well as concerns from public health and community safety officials.

“But despite this shared opposition among residents, police, and politicians, councils have found themselves effectively powerless to intervene. The current statutory ‘Aim to Permit’ duty severely restricts a council’s ability to block the opening of additional gambling venues, even when the community is unequivocally against it.”

Concerning compliance failures

Within the BBC report, gamblers shared their own experience of the failings of staff at AGCs.

One gambler spoken to as part of the investigation revealed that a member of staff at an AGC offered to show her how to remove a block on her bank account that she had put in place to prevent her from making transactions at gambling venues.

Meanwhile, the report also spoke to the family of a woman whose problem gambling activity sparked UKGC intervention against Merkur Slots UK Limited.

In February, the operator was handed a £95,450 fine for failing to interact with the customer, who lost £1,981 across two gaming sessions at its AGC in Stockport.

According to the UKGC’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), premises-based businesses such as Merkur are obligated to interact with customers to minimise the risk of customers experiencing gambling harm.

The UKGC noted at the time of announcing the penalty, Merkur had taken action to correct the compliance failure at the store in question.

“We urge anyone with concerns to report potential breaches of our rules through our confidential report line as soon as they can,” advised the UKGC spokesperson.