GambleAware publishes new Interactive Maps

• GambleAware has today released new interactive maps designed to help identify usage of, and reported demand for, treatment and support^[1] for gambling harms^[2] across Great Britain, segmented by local authorities and wards.

• The maps indicate that certain areas have a higher take up of gambling treatment and support, whilst others indicate a greater reported demand for or awareness of services.

• GambleAware urges local authority areas which report a higher demand for treatment and support to do more to promote the National Gambling Treatment Service.  

LONDON, 25th MAY 2021: GambleAware has today released new interactive maps designed to help identify both take up and reported demand for treatment and support services for gambling harms across Great Britain (GB).

The charity’s annual GB treatment and support survey^[3] produced a nationally representative overview of reported demand and usage of treatment and support, as well as an estimate of the prevalence of gambling harms. This survey outlined differences in gambling participation, usage and reported demand for treatment and support, broken down by area. Based on this research, GambleAware has produced interactive maps to assist in understanding these geographical differences, and to help inform responses by local authorities and wards.

The interactive maps indicate where certain areas have a higher take up of gambling treatment and support, as well as where there is a greater reported demand for, or awareness of, these services. It is key to note that existing efforts to address gambling harms may influence levels of treatment and support uptake, as well as that the maps are based on a single set of data and cannot provide an exact result. GambleAware recommends that local authorities use the maps in conjunction with local data and information relevant to gambling harms.

In areas where there is a reportedly higher reported demand for gambling treatment or support, GambleAware encourages local authorities to do more to promote the existing help available through the National Gambling Treatment Service.

Alison Clare, Research, Information and Knowledge Director at GambleAware, said: “We want to assist local authorities and services in delivering the best possible treatment and support for gambling harms in their area. These new interactive maps can be used to identify shortfalls between treatment and support services and prevalence of gambling participation and harms, which can be used to inform local responses. The existing support available through the National Gambling Treatment Service can be used to help address these shortfalls.”

The press release can be downloaded here. 

[1] Includes all available forms of treatment, advice, and support.  These are detailed in GambleAware’s Treatment and Support survey 2020.

[2] Gambling harms are measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index. The PGSI is the most widely used measure of problem gambling in Great Britain. It consists of nine items and each item is assessed on a four point scale; never, sometimes, most of the time, almost always..

[3] Total sample size was 18,879 adults. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+) by age interlocked with gender, ethnicity, social grade and region.