GambleAware played a pioneering role in reframing gambling harm as a significant public health issue and in shaping a coordinated, national response, creating foundations for the new system commissioners to build on. This included:
GambleAware’s Legacy Report reflects on the charity’s notable role and achievements in gambling harm research, prevention and treatment, capturing key learning and offering insights to support the sector’s continued development.
GambleAware’s strategic vision was to create a society free from gambling harms. To achieve this, the charity adopted a comprehensive public health approach to developing and delivering all interventions.
This approach was shaped by expert advice from the community the charity served - people with lived experience.
Their counsel directly informed strategic development, commissioning decisions, and campaign messaging, ensuring all services were designed to be effective, inclusive and non-stigmatising.
As the strategic commissioner, GambleAware designed and funded the National Gambling Support Network (formerly the National Gambling Treatment Service), a nationwide group of organisations offering help to those harmed by gambling, including the National Gambling Helpline operated by GamCare.
Beyond treatment, GambleAware commissioned programmes to:
Other funded programmes included the System Stabilisation Fund, Regulatory Settlement-funded research, and targeted projects addressing health inequalities.
More information and evaluations of these programmes can be found in the publication library.
GambleAware’s research focused on building a strong evidence base, understanding population needs, and informing effective interventions. This work spanned six key areas:
Research was guided by meaningful involvement of people with lived experience, particularly from marginalised communities, and grants were awarded through open competition with expert and lived experience input.
Prevention and early interventions were central to GambleAware’s approach, recognising that gambling harm is highly stigmatised and often hidden. This work included:
These essential, evidence-based resources were successfully transitioned to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) as the new Prevention Commissioner, ensuring continuity within the statutory system.
People with lived experience of gambling harms were at the centre of GambleAware’s work, including:
The lived experience community were engaged through several lived experience groups: the lived experience council (LEC), the Affected Lived Experience Research, Treatment and Support Group (ALERTS) and the Gambling Lived Experience Network (GLEN).
GambleAware was committed to using research insights to inform policy and create a safer environment that prevents gambling harms. Policy recommendations were developed by commissioning independent research, extensive engagement with those with Lived Experience and wider partners and experts in the sector.
GambleAware, alongside other sector leaders, drove key changes in the policy landscape, most notably the introduction of the statutory levy confirmed in the 2023 White Paper.
In its later years, GambleAware’s key advocacy focus was encouraging the government to implement marketing restrictions to reduce the exposure of this age-restricted product among children and young people.
Below are further resources relating to GambleAware's impact including Care Quality Commission reports for National Gambling Support Network providers.
Gambling harms treatment services are not regulated under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. As a result, the CQC does not have the legal authority to register these services, pursue enforcement, or provide an overall rating following assessments.
However, CQC does assess services who are members of the NGSN to support quality improvement. This work is carried out as a Service Level Agreement with the Gambling Commission and GambleAware under Paragraph 9 of Schedule 4 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, which allows CQC to offer advice or assistance to other public authorities.
While CQC’s powers in this area are limited, its assessments help ascertain that services are providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led care whilst meeting the needs of people seeking support for gambling-related harms. If appropriate, CQC will provide recommendations in order to meet this need. For further information on how CQC inspect gambling harms treatment services please visit the CQC website.
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GambleAware
Registered in England No 4384279
Charity No England & Wales 1093910, Scotland SC049433
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