Ladbrokes donates £180,000 to GamCare’s “youth hubs”

rokes has contributed £180,000 to help fund three regional “youth hubs” for GamCare’s new Youth Programme, which will help to provide information, advice and links to treatment for young people with gambling problems. The donation will support the hubs in Bristol, Birmingham and the north west of England for the remainder of 2016 and into 2017.

The Youth Programme has been running since 2015, and has already showed positive results; feedback shows that those who took part planned to reduce either the time or money that they spend on gambling.

These hubs provide resources for free training and workshops to regional youth outreach centres, as well as materials and equipment to teachers and local youth services professionals to help identify young people who may be at risk. There are also plans to develop a structure for referrals to treat young people who are vulnerable to gambling-related harm.

Ladbrokes’ CEO Jim Mullen made the donation after his visit to the GamCare call centre in Clapham: "When I spent time with Dirk and his team, I got a real sense of how effective their interventions can be and how important it is for people to get timely advice.

"For most people, gambling is a safe and thrilling way to spend their leisure time and I want people to enjoy it responsibly. The idea that we can begin to inform and educate young adults about the potential problems associated with gambling is something that feels right to me. Evidence suggests young people may be more prone to losing control over their gambling and through this piece of work, we have the opportunity to help people remember that gambling should be fun, not a problem."

Upon hearing the news, Dirk Hansen, CEO of Gamcare, expressed his gratitude to Ladbrokes: “We sincerely thank Jim Mullen and Ladbrokes for this contribution to our work with young people across the UK. Our work aims to ensure that young people can access honest, accurate and relevant information about gambling and make informed choices about whether they choose to gamble.

"As a result of this programme, young people will also be able to access help and support tailored for them should they need it. This donation, along with recent support from the Rank Group, will allow us to achieve national scale with this vital service."