Today GamCare, with Rocket Science, has published the impact evaluation report of the Gambling Related Financial Harm (GRFH) project. The report highlights the importance of our cross-sector work to address financial harm and debt that gambling often causes.

Across 2022/23, 60% of callers to the National Gambling Helpline disclosed some level of gambling related debt, and 76% of those callers reported financial difficulties.

The scale of financial harm linked to gambling is worrying and in 2019 we established the Gambling Related Financial Harm (GRFH) project to bring together key sectors, including banking, debt and money advice and gambling treatment, to raise awareness of this issue. Almost 500 people across those sectors have been involved in the work. Together, we set out to develop initiatives and resources to help organisations identify those who are experiencing financial harm, and ensure they are supported.  Last year GamCare commissioned Rocket Science, an independent research and evaluation company, to assess the project and its impact since its launch.

Key findings

Rocket Science found a number of key outcomes of the GRFH project. These include that it:

• Creates a unique networking space for an open discussion about gambling related financial harms.
• Facilitates shared learning and knowledge by raising awareness about those financial harms.
• Supports organisations, by helping them to embed the experience of those affected by gambling harms, within their policies.
• Enables real world change, including the development of referral pathways between organisations that come into contact with those experiencing gambling harms.

Our stakeholders have also been positive about the amount of change they have achieved. One participant acknowledged “Everything we have done (at the bank) has been a result of our involvement with the GRFH project – we had nothing.”

The future of the GRFH project

We couldn’t have achieved this impact without the commitment and engagement from our partner organisations who played a big role reducing gambling harms, by attending our events, implementing our recommendations, and making a positive impact for their vulnerable customers who have been affected by gambling.

That’s why we’re delighted that 100% of stakeholders surveyed said they wanted to see the GRFH project continue.

If you’d like to find out more about the impact of GamCare’s GRFH project, read the report where you will find case studies, recommendations and ideas for the future of the project.