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 Welcome to
the News desk.
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| UK National Gambling Helpline opens 24 hours a
day |
01/10/19 |
|
 Editor |
| • GambleAware,
the leading charity in the UK committed to reducing gambling-related harms,
expands its National Gambling Helpline to operate 24 hours a day from October
1st 2019. |
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The helpline features a
live chat and Freephone channel, with trained advisors providing callers with
advice on gambling-related problems and connect them with
local problem gambling treatment services.
According to
GamCare, the helpline received over 30,000 calls in 2018-19 and this figure is
expected to increase, with the GB Gambling Commission estimating that there are
around 340,000 problem gamblers (0.7% of people aged 16+) in the UK and up to a
further 2m at risk.
However, the 24-hour-a-day service will initially
run as a pilot scheme but will likely be extended if this trial proves to be
successful.
“With the 24-hour nature of gambling, people sometimes
feel at their most isolated overnight, when other support services are
closed,” GamCare chief executive Anna Hemmings said. “They will now
be able to reach our highly trained advisers 24 hours a day, who can offer
immediate support, advice and referral to our network of treatment services
nationally.”
GambleAware chief executive Marc Etches added:
“GambleAware is responsible for commissioning the National Gambling
Helpline, which is a core element of an emerging National Gambling Treatment
Service. Our priority is to keep people safe and to ensure support services are
easily accessible. As such, we are pleased to be funding an extension to the
helpline’s operating hours, and we will evaluate its performance over
time.”
Earlier in September, the UK’s first gambling addiction
service outside of London has launched, with problem gamblers now able to
access care at a new facility in Leeds. The NHS service, run by Leeds and York
Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT), is being funded jointly by NHS
England and GambleAware. It is part of the NHS Northern Gambling Service, with
further facilities in Manchester and Sunderland set to open in early
2020.
Last week, GambleAware also partnered the University of Bristol on
a new research project examining how UK banks and other financial services
organisations can help people suffering with or are at risk of gambling-related
harm.
Researchers from the university’s Personal Finance Research
Centre (PFRC) will now work on a three-year programme to look at the current
measures banks have in place to combat problem gambling and what more can be
done to help protect consumers.
Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, consultant
psychiatrist in addictions and director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic
in London, said, “The financial services sector can play an important role
in helping create a safer environment for people with gambling problems, for
example by making it easier for individuals to limit their gambling
spend.”
Talk To Someone Now
You can speak with
advisers over the phone or via live chat every day of the year, 24 hours a day.
They will be able to listen to what’s going on for you, and can talk you
through all of the options available to you for support in your local area,
online or over the phone.
Call them on Freephone 0808 8020 133 or open
a gambling help online chat.
GambleAware's programme of
treatment, education, harm prevention and research are guided by the
National Responsible Gambling Strategy, which is defined by
the independent Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG) and endorsed by
the Gambling Commission. The ABSG, the Gambling Commission and
GambleAware work together under the terms of an agreement in place since
2012. |
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