Event recap: launching the Gambling Harms Action Lab

Last week we officially launched our Gambling Harms Action Lab (GHAL), along with a new report, Shining a Light. The event explored the role that financial service providers can play in tackling gambling harms, together with the GHAL. 

We had a fantastic array of speakers from across the financial, academic, regulatory and treatment sectors to discuss the scale of gambling harms, and potential solutions. 

Our event was hosted by our CEO Helen Undy, who laid out the history of our work on gambling, going back to the early days of Money and Mental Health. Gambling can be a hidden problem, but there are at least three people or institutions aware of gambling as it happens: the person who is gambling, the gambling operator and the person’s bank. Helen emphasised that we want to work in partnership with banks to help them support their customers who are experiencing or at risk of problem gambling – better. 

We then heard from Nikki Bond, who heads up the GHAL, who painted a broad picture of the harm that can come from gambling, and how it goes beyond financial harm. She spoke of the way the internet has changed the gambling scene, with around-the-clock access potentially fueling harm. Nikki explained the scale of the problem and the need for intervention. 

We heard from Darran, a member of our Research Community, who generously agreed to tell his story via video for the event. He gave a personal account of how he became trapped in problem gambling, and the impact it has had on his life, including on his mental health.

He spoke about almost losing his job because of online gambling, as well as how gambling impacted his relationship with his family. It was a reminder to everyone in the room of why we were all there – to help people experiencing gambling harms.

Our first industry expert was Tim Miller, Executive Director of the Gambling Commission, the organisation which approved the funding of the GHAL from a regulatory settlement. He described our work as a ‘huge step forward’ in tackling gambling harms, building on years of innovative and impactful action. He spoke about the need to view the problem through a number of different lenses to fully tackle the underlying problem and protect consumers better. 

We next heard from Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, NHS England’s National Clinical Advisor on Gambling Harms. As a psychiatrist still practising and treating people experiencing gambling harms, Henrietta brought up some accounts of her work to further ground the problem in lived experience. She spoke of the mental health harms which can spiral from gambling, which can lead to complete and constant anxiety and depression. She emphasised the need to ground work on gambling harm in lived experience. 

Our next speaker was Kathryn Townsend, Head of Customer Vulnerability at Nationwide. A firm believer in our work, and the way in which we can collaborate with banks to tackle gambling harms, Nationwide is our first firm to sign up the Gambling Harms Action Lab. Kathryn relayed how Nationwide sees first-hand the impact of gambling harms. She spoke of how firms need to be more proactive, using the data they have to identify and intervene to prevent harm from gambling.

Sheree Howard, Executive Director at Financial Conduct Authority and a Commissioner at the Gambling Commission, spoke next – joining us via video. Speaking to the financial service providers in the room, Sheree highlighted the importance of the Consumer Duty in guiding firms to protect their consumers against foreseeable harms. She called on attendees to “be ambitious here,” and for firms to use the GHAL to guide them towards supporting consumers.

Our penultimate speaker was Haroon Chowdry, Director of Evidence and Insights at Gamble Aware. He echoed much of what had been said regarding the scale of the harms, and how we can use data to paint a fuller picture of the problem. He spoke about the stigma and shame which leads to essential support coming much too late. The financial sector, as Haroon said, is the first line of defence and lies at the heart of the solution.

The final speaker was Dr Rosalind Baker-Frampton, Clinical Director at Gordon Moody, a residential care facility for people experiencing gambling harms. She reflected that one thing people receiving support for gambling harms have in common is that they could have been helped much sooner. Dr Rosalind explained that, on average, people using the services provided by Gordon Moody have experienced gambling harms for 12 years before admission, showing the potential time that could be used for earlier intervention.

If you work in financial services and want to join the Gambling Harms Action Lab, or want more information, please contact Nikki Bond.

To stay up to date with the work of the GHAL and to be the first to hear about our events, please join our Professional Network.

If you have experience of gambling harms and mental health problems, we would love for you to join our Research Community to help shape and inform the findings and recommendations of the GHAL.

And if you’re experiencing harms from gambling, there is support available. On our Get Help page there are several organisations and resources that can offer help with gambling.