UK to host world’s first gambling treatment centre for women
It is believed the centre will be the first in the world exclusively for women as data shows a rise in the number seeking help.
UK.- What is believed to be the world’s first gambling treatment centre dedicated exclusively to women will open in the Midlands next year.
The announcement comes as new data reveals a surge in the number of women seeking help for gambling-related harm.
The Gordon Moody Association, the Dudley-based gambling addiction charity that will run the centre, said that a record 90,000 women in the UK sought help for gambling problems this year, an increase of 76 per cent year-on-year.
The charity’s CEO, Matthew Hickey, said Covid-19 has been at least partly responsible for the change in the profile of people seeking the association’s help.
He said: “The number of people who are most in crisis and in need of treatment has increased. The number of women in particular who need treatment has increased. And also the complexity of the issues young people have has increased.
“Not only are they coming to us with a gambling issue, they’re also coming to us with another addiction, such as drugs.”
Last month, the responsible gambling charity GambleAware commissioned new surveys on the barriers to the take up of treatment for gambling-related harm in Britain.
