GamCare, a UK-based non-profit organisation that supports those affected by gambling harm, has published its 2022-23 Annual Report and announced that the number of calls it's currently receiving is the highest level on record.
Over the past year, GamCare received 44,049 calls or chats to its National Gambling Helpline, a 4.7% increase year-on-year, and the highest since records began.
A total of 38,456 treatment sessions were administered overall, which included 9,0009 Extended Brief Interventions (EBIs).
Out of these, 92% of those who undertook an EBI course completed it successfully, with 71% of all users completing their treatment.
Margot Daly, GamCare Chair of Trustees, said: “In the year that GamCare reached 25 years as an organisation, it is heartening to see so much work being done to support people through gambling harms.
“We’ve taken significant steps towards putting gambling harms treatment and support on the map and encouraging more people to come forward for help.
“Looking forward, our focus remains on reducing barriers to accessing support and delivering the high-quality services that can change people’s lives.”
As for demographics, 68% of people who reached out to the hotline identified as men, 30% as women and 2% as transgender or otherwise represented.
A total of 87% of people who used the GamCare services were doing so due to their own gambling, while the remaining 13% were accessing them due to someone else’s gambling.
Daly continues: “We look forward to building further our impact in the year ahead and continuing the important work that the third sector delivers towards reducing gambling harms in Great Britain.”
When it comes to education and outreach, 64,372 individuals completed a gambling awareness training course.
This included 45,562 young people who attended a gambling awareness workshop, a 60% increase from last year's figures.
