Renowned responsible gambling advocacy GambleAware has recently launched a new campaign that aims to help women that are at risk of gambling-related harm. This comes after a recent study by a charity in Great Britain. The charity’s report revealed that up to a million women gamblers in the country could be at risk of harm.
The number is huge but even more concerning is the report’s findings that up to 39 percent of the women in this group could potentially refrain from seeking help or treatment. This could be due to fear of stigma or embarrassment. Moreover, some of them prefer to keep their friends and family in the dark when it comes to their gambling activities.
“Our research shows women may not be aware they are starting to experience harm from gambling or, may be worried about reaching out for support due to stigma or shame. That’s why our campaign highlights the warning signs to look out for, so we can support women who gamble and prevent them from developing gambling harms,” Zoe Osmund, GambleAware CEO, commented.
There has been some progress with regards to women experiencing gambling-related harm getting the help they need but that is just a fraction.
The Focus Areas
GambleAware’s recently launched campaign aims at shedding light on three key areas that mostly affect women gamblers. These three key areas of focus are time, expenditure, and secrecy. In essence, this means that there is a potential gambling problem if the women notice that they are losing track of the time they spend gambling, they are betting more than they can afford and are keeping their gambling habits a secret.
In addition to engaging women around the potential signs of a gambling problem, GambleAware is also speaking to the women about where to seek the necessary support. The campaign will kick off with a video starring TV personality Angellica Bell who will be taking the women through some details relating to what women gamblers often go through.
All this comes at a very opportune time as well. The conversation around responsible gambling in the United Kingdom has come so far. Now, one of the biggest developments is on its way – that refers to potential reforms to the country’s gambling laws.
The government is considering reforming the Gambling Act of 2005 which will likely bring a lot of positive changes to gaming in the territory. Still, the fact that organizations like GambleAware are keeping the fight going is very impressive.
