42,000 calls placed to GamCare in 2021-2022

GamCare, an NGO that focuses on protecting vulnerable consumers in the United Kingdom from the harms of gambling, has reported that the organization received more than 42,000 calls and online chats requests for its latest reporting period. The 2021-22 Annual Report noted that this was a 5% overall increase in the total outreach to the organizaiton. GamCare has been around for 25 years now, and it has received more than half a million calls during the period it has been in operation.

GamCare noted that the National Gambling Helpline reached 42,070 calls in 2021, up from the 40,187 received in 2020, and the highest number that the organization has ever had in a single year. This could be owing to the fact that people are more aware of gambling-related harm today, a slightly higher incidence of overall participation, and rising costs of living.

Meanwhile, the number of people who were receiving treatment sessions was down a bit, to 9,728 in 2021, the organization reported. The majority of those who needed treatment were white (87%), with another 7% being Asian or Asian British, GamCare data showed. Six in seven people (86%) have sought out help to deal with gambling becoming a problem that they couldn’t deal with.

Another 14%, though, were seeking help because they had a friend, a family member, or a close person, who needed help. GamCare recorded feedback from 8,000 service users who said that gambling had impacted them in various ways. For example, 79% reported stress and anxiety, while another 75% said that they had depression and low mood. Then, there was also the family and relationship hardships reported by another 54%.

GamCare reported some successes in its youth outreach program designed to help people between 11 and 19 years of age on the dangers and risks of gambling and how they can contravene them. Meanwhile, the organization also reported that the collaboration with GAMBAN and GAMSTOP, leading to the creation of TalkBanStop, has been a significant success in helping people control their gambling.

More than 9,500 free Gamban licenses were distributed thanks to this new alliance, GamCare reported. GamCare CEO Anna Hemmings acknowledged the regulatory and economic difficulties that make people more vulnerable to gambling.

"Looking forward, with rising costs now impacting people, we know that many who rely on our service will be affected and are monitoring this closely," she said. Hemmings confirmed that GamCare remains available to anyone who is struggling with their gambling habits, and the organization is prepared to assist.

Image credit: GamCare