Treatment services improve gamblers' well-being, says GambleAware

The leading charity in the UK that calls for safer and responsible gambling, GambleAware, released the results of a new study Wednesday. The study sought to determine how people are impacted when participating in initiatives by the National Gambling Treatment Service (NGTS).

The new probe showed surprising results, with a significant number of problem gamblers improving their well-being after only several NGTS appointments. GambleAware released its results in a statement and explained that it consists of an analysis of 14,500 qualifying referrals and 95,000 attended appointments.

Gambling addiction or compulsive gambling needs treatment such as other addictions, such as the ones to alcohol or drugs. However, while the process of treating some addictions can take quite long, the results of the new study showed that gambling treatment can show positive results quickly.

The new data points out that 56% of the people affected by gambling harm that attended NGTS appointments showed significant improvement upon completing their treatment. "Crucially, new insight on the treatment pathway revealed that people who experience gambling harm who completed treatment were 78% more likely to have clinically significant change in both gambling behaviors and wellbeing measures than those who dropped out," GambleAware explained.

Upon analyzing the results, the study uncovered that 81% of the participants completed their treatment. On average, the treatment took approximately 6.6 sessions or only 12 weeks. This encouraging result shows that meaningful changes can be achieved in a short period of time. What's more, the study found that the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), used to measure actions such as chasing losses, decreased significantly after only three appointments.

Anna Hargrave, GambleAware's Chief Commissioning Officer, said on the topic: "We know the National Gambling Treatment Service makes a real difference to service users and we've already seen how its user led approach can a have a positive impact on the lives of people experiencing gambling harms across Britain."

She outlined that it is encouraging to see the results of the new study and how meaningful changes and improvement in well-being can happen rapidly. Hargrave explained: "These novel insights into the potential optimum range of appointments, and the importance of supporting users to not miss sessions and completing treatment, will help make the service even more effective." Finally, she acknowledged that improving the treatment services will ultimately provide invaluable support to more people.

Without any doubt, the treatment and support services for people suffering from problem gambling or affected by gambling harm help them. But besides treatment and support, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) also safeguards the well-being of the players. Only recently, the Commission enforced a suspension against Lebom. At the time, the UKGC explained that the operator failed to fully integrate the safer gambling-self exclusion scheme, GAMSTOP.

Currently, the problem gambling rate in the UK is at 0.2%, according to the UKGC. While there are undoubtedly people affected by gambling harm and problem gambling, still, the rate is low when compared to international levels.

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