The Gambling Health Alliance

The Alliance aims to bring together organisations and individuals who have a shared interest in reducing the damage caused to health and wellbeing from gambling.

Place gambling disorders and their associated harms on an equal footing with other major public health challenges

Create a broad coalition using a successful RSPH model

Blogs on the alliance, gambling reports and gambling harms research

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

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.

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.

How to challenge a license 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 licensing applications of adult gaming centres, based on their learnings …

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 …

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 …

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

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.

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.

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.