GamCare and YGAM to reach 2 million young people through professionals

GamCare and YGAM are confident that their Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Program has so far been a success. The two companies expect that as a direct result of training professionals, around 2m young people will have access to educational resources and intervention options, which will, in turn, help stem the tide of problem gambling in British society.

Both companies have come together to train more than 24,000 professionals, and the estimated 2m reach now significantly exceeds the original target set out by the charities. The trained people include teachers and youth workers who will help YGAM and GamCare distribute evidence-based materials across a range of settings and specifically to young people to help raise awareness for problem gambling and how it can be stopped and addressed.

As part of the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Program, 48,000 young people attended workshops that were specifically designed to identify problem gambling and how it impacts young people. The results are encouraging as YGAM has already surveyed the professionals, with 99% of the trained delegates feeling confident that they are capable of identifying the symptoms of problem gambling. Another 97% of the delegates confirmed that they are confident about talking to young people about the issue.

Once again, 97% of the trained staff said that they are prepared to support people who may be experiencing problem gambling and needed further assistance. This same percentage, 97%, of the people trained under the program also confirmed that they understood on a much better and deeper level how gambling harm had a real impact on people’s lives and what could be done to actually revert this.

GamCare and YGAM interviewed trained delegates who expressed enthusiasm about how the training can help them be active combatants against problem gambling. GamCare is also interested in supporting people aged between 11 and 18, as there have been growing concerns that minors in the United Kingdom are disproportionately exposed to gambling. In fact, one BBC report claimed that 50,000 minors in this age group were exposed to problem gambling.

YGAM Head of National Education Program Kyle Riding expressed confidence in the success of the program, and said that through adequate training and resources, the organizations will be able to deliver on the desired and sought results that will help effectively protect millions of young people. This enthusiasm was similarly shared by GamCare Senior Manager Alexa Roseblade who added that education on the risks of gambling is an important deterrent and a way to fight gambling harm in general.

Preventing gambling harms should be based on facts, which young people may now have access to through the new program, which Roseblade feels strongly has been a success. Protecting young people has long been a priority for GamCare.

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