On International Women’s Day, Gordon Moody, a charity set up in 1971 to help those severely affected by gambling addiction, has committed to increasing the amount of support available for women.
The charity suggests applications for support services, which include counselling, therapy and residential treatment, has doubled among women in the last 12 months.
However, Gordon Moody believes not enough women are reaching out when suffering from addiction. In 2019/20, 9,000 women called the national gambling helpline, of which 59% were seeking help for a loved one, while 41% sought help for themselves.
Of that number, only 2,000 went on to access treatment, a figure Gordon Moody claims to be a mere 3% of the actual number requiring help.
In response to the rising need for greater support, the charity pledged additional treatment spaces for women – now totalling 100 per year – through its retreat and counselling scheme, as well as a new residential service launching later in 2022.
Stacey Goodwin, who previously benefitted from Gordon Moody’s services, commented: “I cried with relief in there. It was the first time I heard women talking about gambling and knew it wasn’t just me. I learnt about the science of addiction too; how I’d chased dopamine hits my whole life. The overpowering judgement and guilt lifted.
“As I realised I had a problem, I’d search online for a celebrity who had spoken about her gambling addiction and there was nothing. Gambling is incredibly lonely. As a woman, that's amplified.”
Gordon Moody also offers an eight-week, one-to-one, therapy course for women recovering from gambling harm.
The charity’s report further analysed how gambling operators are now targeting women more than ever. In 2020, women were exposed to an average of 18.5 gambling adverts per week, compared with 15.9 for men.
There was a 54% increase in the number of women gambling during the period, compared with a 28% increase for men.
