The Gambling Health Alliance

The objective of the Alliance is to bring together organisations and individuals, specifically policy makers, who have a shared interest in reducing the damage caused to health and wellbeing from gambling.

The Alliance will support policy-making and policy makers to address the social, economic and cultural factors that contribute to gambling harm and the inequalities in health caused by it. The alliance will seek to:

Highlight the levels of gambling harms
Engage and inform policy makers, Government, NGOs and public health communities in order to encourage a coherent and co-ordinated response to reducing gambling harms
Promote evidence so it can be translated into practical steps
Undertake periodic surveys and polling to inform GHA campaigns to increase awareness of the health harms from gambling
Focus on prevention, early intervention, and increased community engagement.

Contact us

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @GamblingHealthA

Reports, Research and Consultation Responses

Find out more about the research, reports and consultation responses that members of the Gambling Health Alliance have created to raise awareness of gambling related harms and pressure the Government to make changes to laws.

Consultation response - GHA response to the Gambling Act Review call for evidence

Consultation response - GHA response to the DCMS call for evidence on the impact of loot boxes

Consultation response - GHA response to the CAP consultation on stricter rules for gambling ads

Consultaion response - GHA response to the CAP consultation on advertising in-game purchases

Skins in the Game

RSPH have published a report revealing young people consider gambling to be an increasingly normal part of their lives.

#LidOnLoots

Gambling Act review

The Gambling Act 2005 is now 15 years old, but despite minor amendments it is no longer fit for purpose, particularly given the huge growth in online and mobile gambling. A great deal of harm has been unleashed on the public including:

Financial difficulties
Mental health problems
Addiction
Indirect harms to individuals who do not gamble
Relationship strain
Criminality
Widening health inequalities
Wellbeing issues

The GHA is calling for the Gambling Act Review to take a public health approach to reducing gambling harms, by:

Protecting the young and the vulnerable and taking a precautionary approach
De-normalising gambling by reducing exposure to it
Introducing equivalent measures between the online and offline worlds
Investment in research, education and treatment

Read our position paper for full details on what we want to see in the Gambling Act Review.

Overwhelming public support for action to make gambling safer

Research by the Gambling Health Alliance has found that the majority of the public support proposals designed to reduce the harms gambling can have on health, finances and quality of life, and is calling on the Government to introduce robust …

Resources

The resources and training produced by the Gambling Health Alliance members aim to educate people on the prevalence of gambling harms and how to support people who have been affected by gambling disorders.

Understanding and responding to gambling-related harm: A brief guide for professionals

Blogs and Releases

Our range of gambling health blogs have updates on a range of vital issues including gambling in online gaming and gambling organisation advertising.

Going for bloke: Gambling as a men's health issue

Peter Baker, Director, Global Action on Men’s Health explains the gender split in gambling and how this can be addressed.

Alliance welcomes calls for urgent action to prevent gambling harm

The Gambling Health Alliance (GHA), led by RSPH, has welcomed the release of the House of Lords Gambling Industry Committee’s report, Gambling Harm - Time for Action.

Guest Blog: Understanding skin betting and gambling-like behaviour in children

Vicki Shotbolt is the founder and CEO of Parent Zone, an organisation that helps parents and families to navigate the challenges of a connected world. Vicki leads a team that reaches millions of families every year working directly with …

Guest Blog: The YGAM Parent Hub website launch

Amanda Atkinson, Head of Parental Engagement at the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), outlines their new Parent Hub and why it is a vital resource.

Guest Blog: Supporting problem gamblers throughout lockdown

Matthew Hickey, Chief Executive of the Gordon Moody Association, explains how they have adapted their therapeutic services to support problem gamblers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Coalition Against Gambling Ads

James Grimes is a former gambling addict and is the founder of The Big Step campaign, which is a member of CAGA. James is also a Senior Programme Manager at Gambling with Lives, with responsibility for the charity's education, awareness and …

Guest Blog: Let’s Talk About Safer Gambling

Catherine Sweet from national gambling support charity GamCare shares why a focus on safer gambling is so important, especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Take back controllers: three quarters of young gamers want an end to the ‘gamblification’ of video games

Alliance launches #LidOnLoots campaign and calls for Christmas boycott of video games featuring loot boxes

Guest Blog: “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” – Safer Gambling Week 2020

Will Prochaska is the CEO of Gambling with Lives, a charity established by families bereaved by gambling related suicide. Here, he outlines why the narrative of 'Safer Gambling' could potentially do more harm than good.

Alliance calls for “public health approach” to be at heart of Gambling Act Review

The Gambling Health Alliance (GHA), a national coalition of 50 leading charities and academics, has welcomed the publication today (Tuesday 8 December 2020) of the 2005 Gambling Act review, but is calling for the review to take a public health …

Guest blog: Hey! Have you seen this great gambling advert?

Professor Agnes Nairn is Chair of Marketing at the School of Management, University of Bristol. Her research on the ethics and regulation of marketing to children has led to invitations to join over 30 international multi-stakeholder projects …

How to challenge a licence application

Gambling Health Alliance members, Simon Watts, Myrte Elbes, Marlene D'Aguilar and Jo Evans have put together a short guide, to explain how to effectively challenge new licencing applications of adult gaming centres, based on their learnings …

Alliance calls for enforcement of age-ratings in gaming to protect children from online harm

Research by the Gambling Health Alliance has found that the overwhelming majority (83%) of children and young people play video games when they are below the set Pan European Game Information (PEGI) age classification.

Gambling Health Alliance Members

The Gambling Health Alliance is comprised of leading policy-makers, NGOs and charities who share the aim of reducing gambling harms and making gambling health disorders a public health priority. Find out more about the members of the Gambling Health Alliance and updates on the Alliance’s work.

Gambling Health Alliance meeting - February 2020

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Gambling Health Alliance Meeting Notes and Terms of Reference

Gambling Health Alliance Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest developments in gambling health by signing up to the Gambling Health Alliance newsletter.