GamCare achieves 100,000-participant milestone for Youth Program

GamCare, an organization committed to tackling problem gambling on all strata of society, has announced a new milestone for its ambitions and tailored Youth Program which has reached and educated 100,000 young people.

The Youth Program is backed by Aquarius, Beacon, NECA, and Ara, which are the regional providers for the program, and it was started as a massive undertaking designed to train youth workers, teachers, and professionals who can then pass on the lessons and help young people steer clear of gambling harm.

The program itself is part of a broader effort undertaken in collaboration with Ygam and is called Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Program. In a series of workshops, GamCare offered training that the organization hopes could help shield young people from the harms of gambling, as they are one of the highest-risk groups.

Many jurisdictions across Europe have passed comprehensive laws that effectively prohibit gambling companies from targeting individuals under a certain age. The latest initiative by GamCare has reached 100,000 young people specifically, and it has also trained 25,000 of the aforementioned professionals who now have the skills to recognize and address gambling-related issues when they see them in others.

More importantly, the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Program has helped raise awareness for the issue. GamCare Head of Youth Alexa Roseblade had this to add:

"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."

GamCare has also collected feedback from individuals who have attended or participated in the initiative under the Young Program in one capacity or another. For example, Youth Advisory Board member by the name of Jacob said that gambling problems could indeed be difficult to deal with insofar as young people are concerned.

One of the ways to start addressing the issue, though, is rather simple – to talk about it. By learning and understanding the dangers of problem gambling, people can do better, Jacob believes. Ultimately, the program seeks to help young people stay safe while also becoming better informed about the available support services and resources that can help them move past their gambling addiction if and when it manifests.

The official data in the United Kingdom suggests that 0.9% of young people are suffering from problem gambling and another 2.4% are at risk of developing a gambling disorder.

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