GamCare secures funding for three years

The charity will continue to run the UK’s National Gambling Helpline.

UK.- The charity GamCare has announced that it has secured funding for three years as a member of GambleAware’s recently rebranded National Gambling Support Network (NGSN). It will continue to run the UK’s National Gambling Helpline, which it has operated for 25 years.  

It said it will focus on expanding accessibility and choice for people who use the helpline. It will also seek to improve the digital tools and resources that complement the helpline to keep up with the methods through which people wanted to receive support and offer a broader range of self-help and direct support. It will also work to improve referral routes, allowing local providers to assess people and direct them to the appropriate treatment service.

GamCare chief executive Anna Hemmings said: “We are delighted with the outcome of the commissioning process and to be able to continue providing free, confidential support to anyone impacted by gambling nationally.

“Having secure, sustainable funding provides a fantastic opportunity for us to look long-term at how we deliver services that can best support people and communities to reduce gambling harms. We look forward to collaborating with other partner organisations in the National Gambling Support Network.”

The  National Gambling Support Network is the new name for the National Gambling Treatment Service (NGTS). It comprises a broad group of third-sector treatment providers focusing on early intervention through a regional-first approach. Initiatives planned for 2023 include stronger collaboration.

GamCare has announced Lester Posner and Jas Bindarh as ratified trustees on its board. Posner is head of communications for the Health and Safety Executive with more than 25 years of experience in the communications industry. 

Bindarh is a chartered certified accountant and regulatory consultant who has spent much of her career in the corporate and investment banking sector. She has worked with other gambling harm charities and organisations and with mental health service providers as a service user consultant. 

Last month, GambleAware announced that would make a £350,000 grant to support research on gambling stigmatisation. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the University of Wolverhampton will investigate how stigma and discrimination impact people affected by gambling harms. GambleAware said this was a topic in which there were limited studies to date.

Meanwhile, GambleAware reported on the results of new research showing a heightened risk of gambling harm among minority groups.