The Younger Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust and GamCare have smashed the first-year targets set for their joint efforts in delivering the “Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme”.
According to figures released by YGAM, the education charity trained a total of 2,609 practitioners last year which surpassed its original target of 2,592 for the 12-month period.
Once trained, these practitioners were able to work with 184,700 young people, a significant increase on the target of 170,300, to provide educational sessions on gambling harms.
In 2020, GamCare also trained 4,185 professionals who work with young people and they were able to deliver workshops to 3,947 young people.
With two months left in its first year of delivering these workshops, GamCare has already surpassed its initial target of young people reached by 3,000.
Anna Hemmings, chief executive of GamCare, explained: “Both GamCare and YGAM believe passionately that education on the risks associated with gambling and gaming is an essential part of tackling harms for young people and increasing their digital resilience overall.
“I am particularly proud of the team considering the circumstances in which this has been achieved.
“The pandemic has proved a huge challenge, yet our teams have continued to deliver great engagement with professionals and young people. We’ve also developed a dedicated support service tailored to the needs of young people.
“For any young person worried about gambling, the service is free, flexible and confidential, and will ensure that each young person receives the most appropriate support for them. We’vehad overwhelming support from those we’ve trained”
The four-year national programme is supported by the Betting and Gaming Council and aims to deliver evidence-led education, training and support to young people across the UK.
Read more: Interview with BGC chairman, Brigid Simmonds
Lee Willows, YGAM founder and chief executive, said: “I am extremely proud of the enormous success we have already seen from the programme.
“As 2020 unfolded, we saw the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as an invitation to develop YGAM’s digital capacity in all areas of our work. Although this was done as a response to the crisis, the effect has been significantly advantageous for our education programme.
“The programme is reaching more communities in more regions and this fantastic progress will continue in the following years.
“Now that the delivery is entirely digital, we have removed enormous barriers which may have prevented some individuals and organisations from taking part. The programme is reaching more communities in more regions and this fantastic progress will continue in the following years.”
The news comes after HSBC and First Direct announced they had extended their gambling block feature from 24 hours to 72 hours, allowing customers to stop all gambling transactions for three days.
Read our guide to gambling responsibly online.
