Introducing the Gambling toolkit August, 2019 This presentation can be used as a foundation for your own; please feel free to add more slides and amend as you wish.

Introduction to the toolkit Welcome to the Gambling toolkit, which is designed to help adviser provide activities and information to clients that may be at risk or experiencing harm from gambling. So who made it? Unlike most of the materials in this resource library, the Gambling toolkit has not been developed by the financial capability specialists within central Citizens Advice: instead it was largely developed by experts in Newport Citizens Advice, who offer free training to frontline staff to identify vulnerable groups, improve identification of gambling-related harm, provide early advice and sign post to relevant support. If you would like training or professional support please contact  gamblingsupport@newportcab.org.uk or telephone 01633 222622. We highly recommend bringing a physical ‘master copy’ of the toolkit along to show to people

Why is it needed? The latest figures published by the Gambling Commission estimate that there are around 430,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain with almost 2 million more people being considered ‘at risk’ based on their gambling behaviour. According to the Gambling Commission, nearly two-thirds of adults in Great Britain gambled at some point in 2015. In a more recent survey they found that nearly half (48%) the respondents had gambled in the 4 weeks prior to being questioned. In 2016 the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB) called for gambling-related harm to be recognised as a public health issue. There are also concerns about the increase in advertising: between 2012 and 2015 there was a 46% increase in the amount of spending on sports betting, bingo and online casino games television adverts.

Key findings from Citizens Advice 1. Gambling-related harm affects far more people than just the problem gambler. Some estimates suggest that for every problem gambler, between 6 and 10 additional people are directly affected. This means that between 2.5 to 4.3 million people in Great Britain may be affected by gambling-related harm. 2. Gambling can lead to financial difficulties: more than three-quarters of gamblers and more than two in five affected others had built up debt as a result of gambling. Over a third of families with children couldn’t afford essential costs such as food, rent and household bills as a result of a family member’s gambling. 3. Gambling has an impact on people's mental health: Two-thirds of gamblers reported mental distress as an impact of their gambling. More than nine in ten affected others experienced emotional distress. 4. Problem gambling affects family relationships and can cause relationship breakdown: three in five people told us that they had experienced relationship problems as a result of gambling. More than a third of households with children experienced family breakdown.

Key findings from Citizens Advice 5. A range of interlinked factors contribute to problem gambling: Ease of access to and lack of restrictions on gambling, isolation, escapism, boredom, thrill-seeking, behavioural traits, mental health problems and exposure at a young age were all mentioned as causes for problem gambling. The prevalence of advertising made it harder for those with a problem to stop. 6. Tools to manage gambling addiction don’t work for everyone: For tools to work, gamblers need to acknowledge they have a problem, which can be difficult. Existing tools need to be improved to make them more effective. 7. Gambling support services are not always suitable or easily accessible: there aren’t enough local services specifically for Key findings taken from Citizens Advice ‘Out of Luck’ research – 22nd January 2018

How does the toolkit work? Unlike the other toolkits hosted within the resource library, this toolkit is made up of factsheets that can be provided to clients, either in advice settings or on outreach. These factsheets contain a wealth of information, tips and links to further sources of support. Key features: Each factsheet is a branded colour PDF. Each factsheet is two pages. Most of the factsheets have fields on the second page where local offices can enter their own contact details. These are editable fields that do not require specialist software to use. There is no prescribed order to the use of the materials. Local offices may use one or use them all, in any order they feel is suitable.

What factsheets are available? The toolkit contains the following factsheets: 1 – Are you affected? 2 – Dealing with Debt 3 – Gambling and Youth 4 – Gambling Problem? 5 – Online Gambling 6 – Remote Gambling 7 – Scams and Frauds 8 – A Self-Help Guide 9 – Supporting a Problem Gambler 10 – Self-Exclusion

Who are the specialists behind it? Katie Fry is the Gambling Support Service Project Manager at Newport Citizens Advice. She has been involved in gambling harm minimisation since 2012, acting as an expert adviser in the field of gambling-related harm. Chris Richards is a Gambling Support Service Project worker at Newport Citizens Advice and has been with the project for 2 years. Chris’s interest in sport – especially football - provides a valuable insight into the prevalence of gambling within sport.

Claire Guthrie is a Project Worker and the newest member to the team, joining in September 2017. Claire has a background in counselling and ‘brief intervention’ which has helped in the development of the ‘brief intervention’ model of support offered to these clients. Jamie Stonelake is the Project Assistant and has been with Citizens Advice since 2011. Jamie is a self-confessed ‘gaming nerd’: her knowledge of all things gaming has provided valuable insight into the field of gaming and gambling.  

What happens next? The Gambling Toolkit is provided for all local Citizens Advice and partner organisations to use, but – as with all our resources – will be subject to periodic reviews and updates. New versions will be uploaded online at regular intervals, in response to continued feedback, practical testing, and input from the Newport Citizens Advice gambling hub. The Gambling toolkit is available on our website with the rest of the financial capability resource library. This presentation is also available to be downloaded from the same resource offer. Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions in the Toolkit Introduction to field the most common questions you will be asked at this point

For any further information or feedback, contact us at Financial For any further information or feedback, contact us at Financial.Skills@citizensadvice.org.uk

The Financial Capability and Consumer Education Team Bas Diablos Financial Capability Development Lead Dominic Mukwamba Financial Capability Development Officer Mel McGinn Consumer Education Development Consultant Abby Samuel

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