YGAM

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust has announced the appointment of four student employees to continue its ongoing university engagement programme.

The charity employs students in living wage part-time jobs to deliver awareness campaigns to their contemporaries at university about the risks associated with gaming and gambling.

The new salaried positions are student design manager, student user experience manager, student research manager, and student journalism manager.

These roles will focus their activities on campaigns targeting universities during the coming year, this includes the launch of the new Student Hub website.

Pete Woodward, YGAM’s head of delivery for university and student engagement, stated: “It’s incredibly important for the team at YGAM to have students working with us. They understand the current context of life in higher-education and our organisation reaps the benefits every day of producing resources for students, by students.”

DraftKings

DraftKings has confirmed the appointment of Jocelyn Moore and Valerie Mosley to the company’s board of directors effective immediately.

The pair will fill two newly created on the board, which will now consists of 15 members, and follows the group’s recent announcement that Michael Jordan will serve as a special advisor.

“I am very much looking forward to working closely with both Valerie and Jocelyn as we continue to grow DraftKings,” said Jason Robins, DraftKings co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board. “They each bring a unique skill set that will complement those of our existing members while simultaneously bringing new perspectives and ideas to the table.”

Tropicana Atlantic City

Caesars Entertainment has unveiled Jacqueline Grace as senior vice president and general manager for Tropicana Atlantic City, one of four resorts the company owns and operates in the local gaming market.

The appointment is pending regulatory approval, and will see Grace bring more than 20 years of experience within the financial and gaming industries to the Atlantic City market, most recently having served as vice president and assistant general manager at Caesars’ Horseshoe Baltimore property.

“I started my gaming career in Atlantic City and I’m thrilled to return and join one of the top destinations in the market,” commented Grace. “This is an exciting time for our company, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to further position Tropicana for continued growth and success.

“As I watched our company evolve into the new Caesars Entertainment, I was impressed by the Carano family’s mantra of ‘family-style service’ and their commitment to establishing a workplace culture that emphasises engagement, while empowering team members to deliver exceptional service to our customers. I look forward to continuing this leadership style at Tropicana and I’m excited to work with the exceptional team there.

Soft2Bet

Casino and sportsbook platform provider Soft2Bet has hired Max Portelli as its new chief financial officer, bringing years of experience in accounting and auditing roles.

Portelli began his career with KPMG Malta before becoming the financial reporting accountant for the airline of the Maltese islands. Prior to joining Soft2bet, he spent more than five years working as CFO for payment services provider Entercash.

Boris Chaikin, Soft2Bet CEO, commented:“We are thrilled to name Max Portelli as our new Chief Financial Officer, and have no doubt that he will be a fantastic asset for our company going forward.

“Max’s extensive experience and skills speak for themselves, and on behalf of the entire team I’d like to welcome him warmly into the Soft2Bet family.”

Champion Sports

Champions Sports has named Simon Noble as head of sportsbook product, bringing a wealth of knowledge built up during a 20-year career in roles at Pinnacle Sports, Intertops, Full Tilt Poker and The Workshop

In the role, Noble will be responsible for defining, articulating and executing the product vision to deliver “best in class solutions” with the aim of increasing market share and driving growth.

Mark Robson, CEO of Champions Sports, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Simon to the team and for Champions Sports to leverage his incredible skills and unique understanding of the industry.

“These are challenging and uncertain times for sports betting operators and Simon’s experience will prove vital in helping our partners adapt and capitalise.”

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Green Jade Games

Former NetEnt commercial lead Mark Taffler has joined Green Jade Games as chief commercial officer to drive an increased awareness of the firm and its skill-based slots.

Taffler will be responsible for coaching casino partners and driving awareness of how Green Jade Games and its suite of innovative titles can significantly increase retention and boost revenues.

Prior to joining Green Jade Games, Taffler was head of commercial for NetEnt where held responsibility for over 120 customers and managed a team of 13 account managers.

Benedict McDonagh, managing director at Green Jade Games, said: “I am delighted to welcome Mark to the team and to tap into his unrivalled passion, talent and experience.

“Our games, a blend of arcade skill games and standard RTP slots, are truly unique and increase session times inexorably, driving loyalty and revenues for operators.

“With Mark on board, we will be able to engage more operators than ever before and make them aware of the tremendous upsides integrating our suite of titles brings.”

Kindred Group

Johan Wilsby is to join Kindred as chief financial officer later in the year, with an official date regarding the switch from Tobii, where he occupies the same role, to be finalised later in the year.

Previous CFO experience has been gained in positions at Fingerprint Cards and Transmode, with experience also gained via various finance leadership roles at Microsoft and Hewlett Packard.

“I am delighted and pleased to welcome Johan to the Kindred team. In addition to Johan’s capability in finance, his extensive experience from the digital industry will ensure he can engage in our operations from the start and be an important part of the management of the company”, noted Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group.

Scientific Games

Rich Schneider is to join Scientific Games in midway through next year as chief product officer, overseeing product strategy, defining R&D roadmaps and furthering the firm’s position in gaming.

Schneider will bring 30 years of experience in creating gaming products to the company, with recent experience coming in a CPO role at Aristocrat where he directed the creative studios, hardware development and product design. He also held executive roles at Walker Digital Table Systems, Acres Gaming, and numerous leadership roles at IGT.

“Rich’s expertise in design, development and gaming makes him the perfect complement to our Scientific Games leadership team,” explained Barry Cottle, Scientific Games president and CEO.

“Combining Rich’s expertise and creativity with our talented teams will bring industry-leading products and technology to our partners and their players.”

YGAM

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust has strengthened its senior leadership after confirming the appointment of Daniel Bliss as its head of external affairs.

Bliss joins the charity after working as part of the UK Gambling Commission‘s communications team for the last three years, where he was involved in a number of key projects, including major policy announcements and the launch of the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.

Lee Willows, co-founder and chief executive of YGAM, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Daniel to what is an agile, inspirational and committed team. He joins at a key point in the charity’s development as we scale to deliver the UK’s first national education programme with GamCare and supported by members of the Betting & Gaming Council which will see us collectively reach 7m young people over the next four years. Daniel brings valuable expertise to this dynamic role specialising in communications, marketing, public affairs and stakeholder engagement.

“His role at YGAM is to advance the organisation’s marketing and communications across all channels, and help drive the successful workshops and programmes supporting partnerships with commercial organisations operating in the gaming and gambling space. I am confident that in his role as part of the Senior Leadership team, he will play a crucial role in helping YGAM achieve its objectives.”

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Ygam’s Gaming & Esports Programme is designed to educate young gamers, their parents and carers, as well as professionals working across the video game and esports sectors. 

The release reads that: “Ygam’s new programme will actively address the growing need for more effective education on digital safeguarding.” 

Data cited in the report suggests that 80% of 16-24 year-olds play video games, and of that sample, 83% play online. 

What the YGam Programme Covers

The program developed by Ygam includes education surrounding pertinent topics such as microtransactions and virtual currencies, the role of advertising, and evolving gaming mechanics. It also features modules on the potential impact of gaming on mental health, the benefits of pursuing a career in esports, inclusivity within gaming,, and how to foster safer virtual spaces. 

Sacha Kent, Programme Lead for Gaming & Esports, commented: “It’s vital we recognise the central role gaming plays in the digital lives that children lead today. This new programme marks an important step in helping young people enjoy gaming safely, with the knowledge and tools to better understand potential risks and harms. 

“Through our work with parents, young people, and professionals across sectors, we know there is a real demand for this kind of education. We’re incredibly proud and excited to begin delivering it to communities across the country,” continued Kent. 

Ygam delivered a pilot to students from the Sheffield United Community Foundation and students from Sheffield Hallam University. The charity believes that the pilot was “well received” by both staff and young people.

Ygam has already delivered the programme to nearly 100 people through two open sessions and to the Newcastle United Foundation. A full program of open sessions will take place in April and May. 

Lia Thompson, President of the Gaming & Esports Society at Sheffield Hallam University stated: “I think the new Ygam programme is really important – the Gaming and Esports industry is going in the right direction with the increasing ability to report inappropriate behaviour, but safeguarding needs to start before that. There needs to be more awareness of the behaviour that is actively happening, so that it stops being normalised. If we can get young people to think about this early on, we can stop it from happening in the first place, and Ygam’s new programme really helps to achieve this.

She added: “As a woman in gaming, you see these behaviours normalised from a young age, so you begin to think that’s how you should act to be accepted by the community. This is not the true version of yourself, and toxic behaviour online should not be enabled like this. Ygam’s training is bringing attention to the impact of these behaviours, changing mindsets and helping others feel more comfortable calling it out to make their communities and peers safer.”

Linking Gaming Behavior to Gambling Risks

The UK Parliamentary Committee on Public Health and Social Care recently met and discussed in depth the intersection of gaming and gambling with specific relation to gambling-related harms.

Although Ygam’s campaign covers more than just gambling, an understanding of microtransactions and virtual currencies and their wider use is integral in safeguarding against the early development of behaviors that can later lead to gambling-related harms. 

A DCMS inquiry into loot boxes and their potential harms ruled that they should not fall under the same regulatory requirements as traditional gambling products.

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Workshops held as part of the initiative aim to “address the reality of gambling problems among young people”, with a number of common themes subsequently covered.

These include outlining the negative impact that gambling can have on individuals and families, developing an understanding of how gambling operators use advertising and encouraging critical thinking when exposed to such promotions, and raising awareness of the support services available. 

These are delivered as part of the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme, which as born courtesy of a unity between GamCare and Ygam. 

Jacob, a member of GamCare’s Youth Advisory Board:, noted: “Gambling problems can be difficult to deal with, more difficult if you are a young person. There is a way to tackle these problems and it is very simple: talk about it. Teach if you can, learn if you are able, talking helps us understand.” 

The programme was launched in April 2020 and boasts collaboration with a range of regional partners, such as Aquarius, Ara, Beacon and NECA, and trains teachers, youth workers and other professionals to help young people make informed choices about gambling.  

In total, it is reported that 25,000 professionals, comprising the likes of teachers and youth workers, have also been trained. This aims to ensure that those in positions of influence are equipped with the skills necessary to address gambling-related issues in the young people they support. 

“We are incredibly proud of the work the Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme has accomplished in raising awareness about the risk and prevalence of gambling for young people,” stated Alexa Roseblade, Head of Youth at GamCare. 

“Equipping 100,000 young people with the facts about gambling, supporting them to make informed decisions and giving them the knowledge of where to go if they need help is a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to keep young people safe.”

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This represents a collaboration of seven organisations across England, with national partners GamCare and Ygam joined by local group’s Aquarius, ARA, Beacon Counselling Trust, NECA and Breakeven. In addition, the programme also works alongside the Scottish and Welsh Gambling Education Hubs.

The portal, which is aiming to enhance the capabilities of youth, family services and formal education services, will supply evidence-based information, support, and education to those working with children and young people.

Anna Hargrave, Chief Commissioning and Strategy Officer at GambleAware, commented: “Gambling harm is a serious public health issue which can affect anyone – including children and young people. 

“Early intervention and prevention programmes, such as these education hubs are vital to keeping people safe from gambling harm. Young people are increasingly exposed to gambling through the wider environment, so it is important that practitioners, educators and youth workers have awareness and understanding of the issue and harms that can result from gambling.”

As part of the EGEH, which is looking to foster a virtual community of professionals who work with or have a duty of care towards children and young people, schools can apply for a ‘Gambling Education Quality Mark’.

This YGAM accreditation comes in recognition of a school’s commitment to gambling harm prevention through education and consists of them meeting set criterion. The EGEH portal outlines application requirements, how to achieve the mark, and what schools will receive as a result.

“The English Gambling Education Hub is uniquely placed to understand the true scale of gambling harm emerging across England and how it will vary in each location and for each community,” explained Shirley Tomkins, Programme Manager at GamCare. 

“We know professionals need clear, consistent, and non-judgemental information to effectively support young people, who are increasingly encouraged to engage in gambling or gambling-like behaviour online.

“We are continuing to listen to young people and elevating their voices through our events and our engagement with relevant stakeholders across the UK.

“With the government currently looking at the future of gambling support, it’s important we do not lose sight of the vital role that education will play in protecting the next generation from gambling harms.”

Furthermore, a ‘Quality Assurance Support Package’ has also been developed by YGAM, which for those that deliver, or plan to, training around gambling harms and would like support to gain accreditation

Kyle Riding, Head of Programmes at Ygam, said: “Education plays a vital role in preventing gambling harms. As online gambling is now part of the statutory RSE curriculum in schools, it is vital that youth organisations have a convenient place to access consistent information and informed resources to help them to effectively safeguard their children and young people.

“This collaborative programme is not only an effective way to centralise support for those who need it, but also a great opportunity to build a network of people who all share the same goal to raise awareness and reduce the impact of gambling harms on children and young people across England.”

The EGEH is also hosting a film competition which invites organisations working with children and young people to create a film that raises awareness of gambling harms. Entries are open to 11 to 25-year-olds from all educational settings, formal and informal. The winner will have their film professionally developed and shared in schools across England.

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Amongst the issues of HS2, smoking regulation, immigration and trans rights, the gambling industry was placed under the spotlight on a panel titled “The Gambling White Paper: Implications for Treatment’, with panellists discussing the impact of the Conservative Party’s 2019 pledge to review and update the Gambling Act. 

Appearing on the panel was Rigbye, who in front of a crowd of delegate MPs and journalists highlighted a need for the white paper to be “smart”, in order to best carry out the research, education and treatment levy structure.

Due to being one of the UK’s largest RET charities, Ygam would be a key beneficiary to the white paper’s proposed mandatory industry funding. While the organisation hopes to benefit from this proposal through an efficient structure, Rigbye outlined that “charities are discovering that the publication of the white paper has stemmed uncertainty.”

She continued: “The lack of clarity around the levy means many donors are now reluctant to commit to funding until the consultation period is clearer, and the new system is established. During this period, there is a risk that services provided by organisations who rely on the current system could be disrupted or discontinued.”

This comes as the UK Gambling Commission and the DCMS are currently undergoing consultations that give limited attention to the RET levy, with industry and treatment stakeholders partaking.

Having begun in July, the first batch of consultations are set to end on October 18 and have placed focus on financial risk and vulnerability, improving consumer choice on direct marketing and age verification in premises. 

The RET levy is set to be considered in the next round of consultations, due to begin in winter. While this would give Rigbye, Ygam and other RET organisations some clarity on plans for the levy, they will likely have to wait until the new year. 

In preparation for the next consultations, Rigbye urged policymakers not to overlook the contribution made by education organisations in tackling issues of gambling harm.

“All too often we see preventative education being overlooked in the debate or, in some cases and more worryingly, work to increase awareness of treatment availability being used to demonstrate investment in prevention,” said Rigbye. 

“Ygam argues that investment would be better off made upstream, so that less people need those treatment services in the first place.”

Finally, Rigbye made comments against a “misguided narrative” related to the perceived closeness of some RET organisations to the industry, with some companies having been criticised for an ‘overreliance’ on industry funding. 

“There appears to be a perception from some that organisations working in the current system are not independent from industry funders,” Rigbye added.

“This misguided narrative must not influence the new infrastructure and processes. All organisations seeking funding should be measured on the quality, scalability, and impact of their services.” 

Other industry delegates on  the panel included Gordon Moody, which organised the session with Green Pen Consulting, represented by CEO Matthew Hickey and Head of Service Development, Sarah Forshaw.

Stuart Andrew also made an appearance, charged with overseeing the review as the DCMS’ current  Secretary of State. Last month, Andrew highlighted the need for the UK to improve its research capabilities when it comes to gambling harm.

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The EGEH is a partnership between seven organisations funded by GambleAware – GamCare, Aquarius, ARA – Recovery for All, Beacon Counselling Trust, Breakeven, NECA and Ygam – brought together to prevent gambling-related harm in young people.

At the EGEH’s first event back in March, nearly 100 professionals across education, health, voluntary and local authority sectors attended, including experts in mental health, suicide prevention, youth work, and those offering training, support, and treatment for gambling-related harms.

Introducing the Hub at the event, the topics explored were “the main barriers faced in competing for funding in the voluntary sector”, “the lack of time and resources to connect with each other fully”, and “the appetite for organisations across sectors to share learning, expand their reach and improve outcomes for young people”.

Within the first insights report, four key themes were identified at the event:

• Collaboration with young people to ensure designed initiatives achieve intended impacts.
• Identifying cross-sector links between gambling harm and other risky behaviours and issues.
• Sharing of work and resources between organisations to better serve young people.
• Consideration of diverse communities; who they are, where they are and how to connect with them to collaborate.

The EGEH also stated that the voice of young people would be included in their discussions via the GamCare Youth Advisory Board to make sure the Hub stays “relevant and ahead of the issues affecting young people”.

Several barriers and enablers to collaboration were identified at the event, which included gambling as a ‘hidden harm’, a lack of resources, and those resources not being relevant or accessible to all.

To address gambling being a hidden harm, enablers that were highlighted included providing free training to upskill, signposting to additional resources, education on topics such as early intervention, expert input, relationship building and publications for the latest insights.

Enablers to help address a lack of resources include a ‘one vision’ approach amongst organisations, tailored collaboration, open and honest dialogue, and easy access to resources and activities.

Addressing the barrier of not being relevant or accessible to all, the EGEH suggests the following enablers: knowledge of what’s available and gaps to fill, good practice shared across sectors, including the voice of young people, up-to-date information, and the consideration of diverse communities.

Youth Facing Professionals put forward four recommendations for the EGEH to take action on: 

• Exploring ways to create collaborative partnerships to expand reach and combine messaging.
• Consulting with young people to enhance and improve offers for them.
• Exploring which communities and young people are not being reached and why.
• Exploring ways to connect with those communities.

Professional aspirations for the EGEH also included working to raise the profile of ‘hidden harm’, providing accessible gambling education for all, and professionals having access to the resources and services they need.

The EGEH’s full report on the effectiveness of collaboration around young people and gambling harms can be found here.

Recently, the Hub also held its second event, which explored the topic “Is traditional awareness raising appropriate for today’s young people?”. Insights from this event will be shared by the EGEH soon.

Earlier this week, GamCare published a report on how to improve bank gambling blocks across the customer journey.

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That is according to Censuswide, who surveyed 2,000 students in a follow-up to a 2022 commission by Ygam and GAMSTOP.

Of those quizzed, 71 per cent had gambled in the last 12 months, 28 per cent of which were found to be at ‘moderate risk’ while 24 per cent had behaviour categorised as ‘problem gambling’. 

Half of all respondents reported that gambling had impacted their university experience, with 13 per cent reporting trouble paying for food, 10 per cent missing lectures and tutorials, 10 per cent noting issues with assignments and grades, and nine per cent struggling to pay bills or for accommodation. 

In addition, 45 per cent of those who gamble were also unaware of the support available to them from their universities.   

Almost one in two students who gamble (48 per cent) say they gamble to make money, but only 11% reported winning money in an average week. 

One in three said that they spend £11-£20 per week on gambling; nearly one in four (23 per cent) spend £21-£50; and 13 per cent spend £51-£100. However, 4.5 per cent say they gamble because they are unable to stop. 

Along with savings and their own earnings, some students are borrowing money to fund their gambling, with eight per cent lending from family and friends and six per cent using payday loans.  

Furthermore, over 40 per cent of students have bought cryptocurrency in the last year, which is higher than the figure for the overall population. 

Dr Jane Rigbye, Chief Executive Officer at Ygam, said: “These findings give us insight into the attitudes and behaviours of students towards gambling. Building on the data published last year, we can now see that not only are a large percentage of the student population gambling on a regular basis, many of them are doing so in a way that may cause them to experience harm.  

“The data further emphasises the importance of educating our young people on the risks associated with gambling. We’re working with our partners to tour university campuses across the UK to speak to students, deliver specialist training to university staff and to raise awareness. 

“It is crucial that universities engage and take this issue seriously. We aim to work closely with many more universities to ensure they can help prevent the harms and support their students when they need it.” 

The report also disclosed three key recommendations as a result of the findings, which first calls for investments to be made in universal prevention education in schools to help prepare young people to be resilient to the risks related to gambling before their transition to university. 

It was also suggested that gambling harms should be considered as part of every university’s health and wellbeing strategy, with urges made for further research to be conducted to better understand the experiences of students who gamble and how harms can be better prevented.

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Group CEO Dr Jane Rigbye stressed the importance of keeping young people protected from irresponsible gambling as they are already impacted by a number of disadvantages, namely the fallout from the pandemic and the increased cost of living.

In a speech to the Reception, she said: “Recent years have brought significant challenges to families still feeling the ripple effects of the impact of the pandemic. Young people have faced disruption to their education and their social development, and this disruption is likely to continue to affect their mental and physical health as they enter adulthood.

“Families are being further impacted by the increased cost of living, no doubt most significantly affecting those who feel the greatest burden due to inequalities in our society. Therefore, the prevention of future harm is more important now than ever.”

The charity’s strategy for the new year was launched on January 17, entitled ‘Safeguarding Our Digital Generation’, with Rigbye stating that it will acknowledge the similarities between gaming and gambling to better protect this generation. 

“We are in a rapidly advancing digital world,” said Rigbye. “The two issues are intrinsically linked, and the evidence suggests we are more likely to prevent children from harmful engagement with these products if we discuss their similarities, acknowledge their differences, and equip those with influence over the lives of young people with the information and skills to have effective prevention conversations about both activities.”

Rigbye continued to outline the organisation’s revised strategy, stating that YGAM aims to “deliver robust evidence-based services designed to equip people with the knowledge and tools to implement effective prevention interventions through their work or their conversations with young people.”

The CEO’s speech also touched upon YGA’s previous operations, explaining that: “For too long, YGAM have reported outputs, rather than understanding the change that happens because of our work.” 

Despite this statement, the firm will be publishing its 2022 impact report before the end of the month, with Rigbye stating that this document will “still have an output-heavy slant”. However, the charity will hope to amend this in coming months as the CEO suggested future reports will “be reporting much more on the change we’ve made.” 

Unsurprisingly, the speech acknowledged the insecurities surrounding the Gambling Act white paper review. Rigbye noted that YGAM “will work within whatever framework the government establishes for the funding of gambling harm prevention” and “ensure that universal education and prevention is seen as an essential part of the public health response.” 

Due to the very nature of the charity and similar organisations, player safety is believed to be most essential when it comes to the government revising its gambling laws, yet a number of sources have warned that stricter regulation could turn players to potentially dangerous illicit services. 

For example, the Betting and Gaming Council recently warned legislators that they risk driving customers towards unregulated operators with measures such as blanket affordability checks. 

Last month, a study conducted by the EY suggested that 70 per cent of bettors would be unwilling to allow regulated operators to conduct said checks to prove they can afford to wager.

Rigbye’s sentiment was echoed by Shadow Education Minister Jeff Smith, who also spoke at the Parliamentary Reception last week. The Labour MP for Manchester Withington stated that any changes to the funding model should not focus on “treatment alone”, while arguing that lawmakers need to be “preventing harm as well as tackling it”. 

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Coming alongside the launch of new branding and logo, the new strategy aims to raise awareness, education and research among those aged between seven and 25. 

YGAM noted that it has “engaged with a diverse range of stakeholders and staff,” in a bid to deliver “ clarity and purpose” regarding the future direction of the organisation

“Prevention of these harms may not always be at the top of the pile of public health priorities; nevertheless, they are an increasingly essential part of protecting young people growing up in a digital world. And we know that prevention is always better than cure,” said Mike Wojcik, Chair of the YGAM Board of Trustees, and Dr Jane Rigbye YGAM CEO, elaborating on the group’s aims.

Adding: “Together, we can help ensure that all children and young people are resilient to, and safeguarded against, the risks related to gaming and gambling, and we can enable the youth of today to live the happy, healthy digital futures they deserve.”

These plans will be in place for the next three years in a rolling strategy that will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis.”

This, it is hoped, will enabled the charity to adapt to “the rapidly evolving context” in which it operates, and to deliver its vision and mission beyond 2025.

“The digital world offers huge opportunities, but with those opportunities come risks, particularly for young people who live in an increasingly digitised world,” Rigbye commented.

“We have a clear purpose, we deliver evidence-based programmes, and we are focused on understanding and continuously improving our impact.”

She continued: “We want to ensure that universal education and prevention is seen as an essential part of the public health response to gambling and gaming, and that it is adequately funded over the long term. 

“YGAM are here to demonstrate that delivering effective prevention education to all young people is achievable, worthwhile, and will save lives.”

Around 90 guests attended the Houses of Parliament held event, which comprised representatives from government, regulators, academia, charities, trade associations, and local authorities.

The event, hosted by former Gambling Minister Damian Collins who delivered the opening speech, heard from Shadow DCMS Minister Jeff Smith MP who called for the much delayed white paper on the UK’s Gambling Act to support education and prevention. 

“It is absolutely vital that the white paper gives a clear steer on funding for those in the sector, and we must also recognise that funding should not be limited to treatment provision alone,” he said.

“We need to be focused on preventing harm as well as tackling it when it has been able to develop. 

“That is where charities like YGAM really come into their own, and part of the government’s responsibilities in this white paper is to address the concerns around the sustainability of their services and provisions.”

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