UK problem gambling firm GambleAware has set aside ₤2.5 million to expand their safe online gambling education programs by investing in a number of firms across the UK.
Due to the success of a pilot program in Scotland, GambleAware has set aside £2.5 million ($3.3 million) to fund a number of organizations, including GamCare, YGAM, and Adferiad Recovery, in order to extend its Gambling Education Hubs throughout England and Wales.
According to GambleAware, its Scottish Hub increased practitioners' confidence when it came to spotting indicators of UK gambling damage, with 92 percent reporting that they felt confident following training, compared to only 35 percent who said they felt confident before the training.
With this additional support, GambleAware hopes to expand the scope of its Scottish pilot project and apply the lessons learned there to other countries. By engaging people at a local level, these education centers are able to go to places where "the central government cannot always get to them."
Following a bidding process, GamCare, in partnership with YGAM, the Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA), Aquarius, Beacon, Breakeven, and Neca, will carry out the work in England, with Adferiad Recovery overseeing the program's efforts in Wales.
GamCare Chief Executive Anna Hemmings, said of the funding: "We are delighted to be receiving this grant to deliver gambling education hubs across England. We work in collaboration with a number of organisations who bring unparalleled experience of working with young people around these issues."
GambleAware CEO Zoe Osmond added: “At a time when young people are increasingly exposed to gambling, the delivery of local-focused programs for gambling education and prevention of harms has never been more important.”
