GB Gambling Commission Teams up with Wales to Develop Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms

With the drastically surging number of consumers affected by various forms of gambling-related damages, more and more institutions and authorities are considering stricter measures of protection. One of the latest positive examples is the GB Gambling Commission collaboration with partners in Wales. The purpose of the agreement is…

…to develop a new national strategy which would decrease gambling-related negative impacts in the country. The three-year National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms will be effective from 2019 to 2022. During this period, Welsh healthcare providers, charities and businesses will work together with the regulator to achieve two key strategic priorities – prevention and education.

Developing a Clear Plan

The crucial points of the scheme, prevention, and education, are just some of the most vital aspects to work on. The plan should also include improvement of treatment and measures for gambling issues. In of intervention and training…

…the Commission will strive to develop a “clear public health prevention plan.” This should encom a range of various intervention approaches. Such a move marks a shift from simply instructing citizens about the dangers of gambling and puts more focus on the active elimination of issues prior to their actual development.

Tailored Approach

The Commission will also try to adjust the treatment and methods to meet the needs of Welsh citizens. Only by having a better understanding of all potential gambling harms will allow ground-breaking changes to take place. The plan is to move away from simply counting problem gamblers and start building a more thorough understanding of the experienced problems. As Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission chief executive pointed out:

“The new strategy will provide us and our partners across Wales the opportunity to make faster progress to reduce gambling harms. It will address not only the harms experienced by people who gamble but will also focus upon the impact that can be felt by friends, family and the wider community.”

More Robust Measures

The Welsh initiative comes after the Commission in April revealed a new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms across England, Scotland and Wales. The main emphasis is also preventing gambling harm through early intervention and training. Moreover, it includes the improvement of treatment and services across Great Britain.

The chief medical officer for Wales, Dr. Frank Atherton, approved the shift to focus on decreasing gambling harms, “rather than simply promoting responsible gambling as an approach to tackling this public health issue.” As he explained:

“Building the resilience of children and young people is essential to reducing these harms, as is understanding, through increasing the availability of robust and independent research, the most effective measures for intervention.”

Source:

“GC sets out strategy to reduce gambling harms in Wales”, igamingbusiness.com, June 6, 2019.