Gambling type activities are becoming part of our everyday experiences and spaces. When we think of gambling, we often think of things like a betting shop, bingo hall, or buying a lottery ticket, but we might not think about our energy supplier.

At GamCare, we define Gambling as the act of risking something of value on an uncertain outcome, with the hope of winning more. It can involve betting money, or other things of value, on the outcome of a game, contest, or event.

You may have started to notice more and more ‘scratch to win’ discount offers when online shopping, or influencers running a giveaway of some luxury goods. These activities normalise gambling behaviours as ‘spinning the wheel’ moves from gambling at a casino to something you can play as part of your weekly food shop.

While you may not be ‘betting money’, these games can affect how we spend our money, with supermarkets, fast food restaurants, and energy providers now using gambling tactics to win food, prizes or the cost of your bill. What we consume is becoming more and more related to gambling, and the lines between them are becoming blurred.

This can be the same for harmful gambling, where we often go straight to the amount of money that is lost. It’s also important to consider the amount of time that we spend planning or thinking about gambling, and how it makes us feel, the cost isn’t the only indicator of harm, and many of these types of gambling are free or part of a purchase.

Is my gambling an issue?

If you are someone who is struggling with their gambling or are in recovery, you may find it difficult when these types of activities are filtering into typically ‘non-gambling’ spaces. Or this could be new to you, and you are finding yourself spending a lot of time engaging with gambling such as searching for and entering giveaways.

If your consumer choices are driven by the opportunity to win products and this time spent is becoming distracting or is making you feel bad about yourself, you may be at risk of experiencing gambling harm.

If you feel gambling is affecting you, here are some questions you can ask yourself:

• Do you find it difficult to step away from gambling? This includes online games, giveaways and betting.
• Are you withdrawing from social or professional situations, so that you can gamble? You may find yourself gambling on your phone at work or being distracted when spending time with loved ones.
• Does gambling or playing online games, provide you with an escape from or cope with the stress of everyday life?

If any of these questions resonate with you, or if you think they apply to someone close to you, you may benefit from talking to someone about this, a friend, a family member or contact our helpline on 0808 8020 133 for free and confidential advice.