GambleAware Funds Research into Problem Gambling Within Minority Communities

The organization has awarded £300,000 for a research project to get to the heart of the harm caused by gambling in these communities.
GambleAware Funds Research into Problem Gambling Within Minority Communities
By
December 14, 2021

Responsible gambling (RG) charity, GambleAware has awarded a £300,000 ($397,000) grant to examine the effects of gambling harms among minority communities.

The research—led by Ipsos MORI —a market research company, will aim to “improve knowledge of the lived experiences of minority communities” and also “include minority ethnic, religion, and language groups in relation to gambling and gambling harms.”

The project is part of GambleAware’s ongoing commitment to better understand problem gambling experiences across diverse demographics—and will seek to explore the factors that drive gambling harms among minority communities throughout the UK.

GambleAware ran a competitive grant award process in the run-up to this week’s announcement, and states that the project will “harness the consortia’s strong understanding of the research aims”, as well as involving “the communities themselves”.

The study will take place over an 18-month period, and has three stated aims:

  • “Explore minority communities lived experience of gambling, gambling harms, and gambling advice and information, support, and treatment services.”
  • “Explore the drivers of gambling harms among minority communities in Great Britain, building on international research.”
  • “Identify the services, interventions, and policies necessary to reduce and prevent gambling harms among these communities.”

Research Lead at GambleAware, Dr Jay St.John Levy said, “The experiences of minority communities around gambling are at present under-researched in Great Britain, yet evidence suggests that these groups are more likely to experience harm from gambling, and less likely to access gambling treatment services, compared with white communities.”

He continued, “We are very pleased to award this grant to these two consortia who together bring considerable expertise focussing on people’s nuanced lived realities. This will help explore why these communities experience a greater burden of harm, and how to break down the barriers preventing them from accessing services.”

Dr St.John also highlighted the need for greater diversity in the analysis of problem gambling, saying: “This research will better ensure that GambleAware and others can commission a broad range of treatment and support services that work for minority ethnic, language, and religious communities. It is therefore an important step towards reducing the current inequalities in gambling harms.”

GambleAware’s original grant was to be for £250,000, however, in light of how important the research project is considered to be, the charity increased the funding by 20% from its original figure.

The researchers will publish a final report in 2023, although they will also be making interim reports throughout the process, in order to aid GambleAware’s broader goal—a five-year plan to “to achieve a society free from gambling harms for all communities.”

GambleAware currently has over $56 million funding in operation. The organization has been building joined-up intervention and treatment systems for several years.

One of its recent surveys found that as many as 1.4 million adults in Britain are addicted to gambling. However, despite that large figure, only 3% of those are in being treated for their condition.

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