New research reveals young people and women more at risk of gambling harm stigma

• GambleAware releases the first major research programme of its scale looking at how people who experience gambling harm are stigmatised and discriminated against in Britain.
• Research shows that gambling harm stigma – the negative labels or stereotypes attached to people experiencing gambling harms – causes poor mental health and leads to depression, stress, a lack of self-esteem and reduced confidence.
• Although gambling harm and the stigma associated with it can affect anyone, the research found that young people, women experiencing problems from gambling, single people, people with children, people from minority ethnic groups, and people who follow a religion experience higher levels of stigma associated with gambling harms. Those who use alcohol or drugs are also significantly more stigmatised.
• The research underscores the importance of the stigma campaign recently launched by GambleAware, designed to challenge the stigmatisation of gambling harms in Britain.  

GambleAware has today published the first major research programme of its scale in Great Britain focussed on the effects of gambling-related stigma and the discrimination it causes¹ , showing how groups such as young people and women are more at risk of experiencing gambling harm stigma and the devastating effect it can have people’s mental health. 

The new research, commissioned by GambleAware and conducted by the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Wolverhampton, reveals the ways gambling harm stigma can lead to extremely poor mental health and cause depression, stress, lack of self-esteem, reduced confidence, and in some cases self-harm. 
Gambling can be addictive and gambling harm can affect anyone.

However, there is still stigma around the issue, which GambleAware recently warned is holding people back from seeking vital support. For those experiencing gambling harm, stigma is linked to a belief that gambling problems were a result of their own actions rather than the addictive nature of gambling itself.

One person with lived experience of gambling harm who took part in the research said: “When they want you to gamble it's portrayed as this normal activity. But then when something... goes wrong, it's  always the person that's vilified rather than the situation and the circumstance that has allowed that to happen.”

Previous research shows that for those experiencing harm from gambling, stigma and shame are the biggest barriers preventing people from seeking help, with a quarter (28%) of those who experience problems with gambling hiding their activities from their family and friends, and a quarter (24%) who are experiencing the most serious harm saying they did not seek support due to feelings of shame or embarrassment².

Stigma also has a negative impact on relationships and employment for people with experience of gambling harms. People who took part in the research reported feeling judged and excluded by friends and family. Some described losing respect in their social circles and experiencing long periods of estrangement from loved ones. This led to social exclusion ranging from no longer receiving messages from their family to not speaking to family members at all for several years. This contributed to feelings of stress, depression and low mood, and worsening overall mental health. 

Another person with lived experience of gambling harm who took part in the research said: “I think being in a family, people straightaway think about the damage that it's causing to you, to your wife, to your children... I think it's perceived as a very selfish thing to do. I think because of that and because you are affecting people around you, not just your wife, your children, your friends, your family, everyone; I think that's where some of the stigma comes from.”

The new research also makes recommendations on how to reduce stigma, including a need to increase education about gambling harms for the public, young people, and professionals such as those working in the NHS or the criminal justice system. People who had experienced gambling harm also felt employers could do more and there should be more employment practices for tackling stigma and discrimination related to gambling harm.

The general public’s perception was also explored by the research. While 90% of people said they would be happy to make friends with someone who gambles without issue, only 70% said the same about someone experiencing gambling harms. Similarly, 83% were comfortable working closely with someone who gambled without harm, compared to just 58% for those experiencing harm.

Certain groups were found by the research to be particularly at risk of experiencing stigma, including young people, women experiencing a high level of problems from gambling, single people, people with children, people from minority ethnic groups, and people who follow a religion. Women reported experiencing an added layer of stigma because their experiences did not align with the traditional stereotype of a male gambler. 

Zoë Osmond OBE, Chief Executive of GambleAware, said: “This research shows the devastating impact stigma can have on people’s lives and their mental health. Gambling harms can affect anyone so we all need to work to remove some of the myths and misconceptions that lead people to judge or discriminate against people experiencing these harms.

“Stigma and the fear of being judged is a powerful barrier which stops people coming forward to get much needed help, so we need to minimise it and ensure people can feel able to be open with friends and family and others around them.”

Professor Joanne Lloyd, the research project lead at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “This research demonstrates how detrimental stigma can be for people who experience gambling harms, and highlights how important it is to challenge it. We hope that the insights we have gained into how a range of individual and societal factors increase the risk of stigma and associated harm can help direct educational interventions to reduce this harm.”

Tracy Madlin, who has experience of gambling harms, said: “Gambling harms had a terrible effect on my life for many years. But it was really hard for me to reach out for help because of people not understanding gambling harms and there being a stigma around them. This made me worried that I was going to be judged if I opened up. I think things wouldn’t have gotten so bad for me if there hadn’t been that stigma around it and I would have been able to get help earlier.

“It was particularly hard for me as a woman, because women who are experiencing gambling harms are seen differently to men in the same situation. I was a mum and a homemaker, so people saw me in a certain way and wouldn’t have expected that I would have been experiencing gambling harm. Even when I did reach out for help, I found that there wasn’t much specifically for women. When I first walked into a fellowship looking for help, there were 54 men, and I was the only woman. Now I help run female-preferred groups, but it’s taken a long time to get this kind of help for women.”

 
GambleAware has been campaigning to reduce the stigma associated with gambling harms for several years. The campaign encourages and helps normalise support seeking behaviour such as accessing self-help tools and calling the National Gambling Helpline for support. 

The full research reports can be viewed here:

• Quantitative report
• Qualitative report
• Synthesis report
• Discourse report

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The research consisted of an analysis of: naturalistic data from online peer support forums a nationally representative survey of 3,567 people in Great Britain (including people with varying levels of experience of gambling harms); interviews with 35 people with lived experience of gambling harms and 24 people from groups who come into contact with people who experience gambling harms; and a discourse analysis to explore how people experiencing gambling harms are presented and perceived in public spaces such as media reports and television shows.
2. https://www.gambleaware.org/what-we-do/news/news-articles/gambleaware-urges-public-to-open-up-about-gambling-with-anyone-at-risk-of-harm/
3. GambleAware is urging anyone who is concerned about how gambling makes them feel to search GambleAware online for advice, tools and support. GambleAware’s website also has a number of resources to guide conversations with young people about gambling.