Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm roundup 2024 – Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland

Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm works to raise awareness of, and advocate for, a public health approach to tacking gambling harm in Scotland

In 2024, Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm (SRGH) has held eight Forum meetings and has 18 registered members. Throughout the year, the Forum has also been joined by a number of external stakeholders, to share their expertise and/or get Forum members’ views. These have included representatives from: Public Health Scotland; University of Glasgow; Money and Mental Health; YGAM; Simon Community Scotland; and Cyrenians. As well as supporting the delivery of the Forum, SRGH’s other key strand of activity is influencing policy and decision makers to recognise and respond to the harms caused by gambling.

To accomplish this in 2024, SRGH brought together academics, third sector representatives, civil servants, and people with lived experience at three roundtables to discuss key issues relating to gambling harm and identify solutions and recommendations for action. Topics of the roundtables were:

• Treatment, support, recovery and gambling harm (May 2024)
• Changing the narrative on gambling harm: part 1 (Sept 2024)
• Changing the narrative on gambling harm: part 2 (Nov 2024)

SRGH provides an important space to facilitate connections between different people working to reduce gambling harm in Scotland. One of the key pieces of feedback we receive is the value of having space to come together, think, learn and generate solutions. People describe the feelings of hope and inspiration they gain through being in a shared space, where people are taking the time to listen and look for solutions in partnership. Forum members have also shared that through the Forum, roundtables and the ALLIANCE’s intermediary role, they have been able to directly access and connect with people they otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet.

Through these mechanisms, in 2024, multiple Forum members have part in additional opportunities to share their priorities and influence change. Some of these include:

• Joining other lived experience panels, forums or working groups on areas and topics relevant to their personal passions.
• Taking part in research opportunities to use their experience to share research priorities and content.
• Giving interviews or connecting with the media, with Forum members having interviews feature on BBC Radio Scotland and national newspapers.

Beyond creating spaces for people to come together to explore and cocreate solutions to tackle gambling harm in Scotland, SRGH also amplifies and disseminates this learning further. Over the last year, the programme has:

• Joined and presented findings from “Explore: Mental Health and Gambling Harm” at the Challenges and Advances in Gambling Research Annual Conference
• Delivered a session on gambling harm, stigma and the media at the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland’s Annual Conference
• Submitted five consultation responses to UK Government and the Gambling Commission on proposed actions to implement measures outlined in the Gambling Act White Paper Review.
• Been an active member of the Public Health Scotland and Scottish Government Gambling Harm Working Group.

Throughout 2024, SRGH have continued to share our learning around mental health and gambling harm and emphasise the need for cross policy action. We, for example, fed into the ALLIANCE’s broader response to the Suicide Prevention Inquiry. The evidence included on gambling harm was then picked up during one of the evidence sessions and a quote was featured in the Scottish Parliament Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee letter to the Minister.

We also are beginning to see various policy commitments translate through to real world action, like the development of the upcoming Distress Brief Intervention Gambling Harm Resource Pack.
Tackling gambling harm in Scotland is a long-term goal, but over the last year we have demonstrated that by nurturing the right conditions, we can make real, meaningful progress together.

Quotes from 2024

“It was good to get round the table with people from a variety of organisations to discuss the links between mental health and gambling harms and feel that the Forum’s opinions were valued and valid.
Now that I am well into my recovery journey, I can look back now and see how much my addiction affected my mental wellbeing. Gambling harms and mental health are, in my opinion, inexorably linked, and I felt this event – attended by some influential organisations – was an important step for us to look more closely at how one affects the other, and to take action to support those affected.” – Forum member after Mental Health Roundtable

“Thanks so much for organising today – it was an interesting session with great questions posed. I really appreciate you and The ALLIANCE creating these spaces for people to discuss gambling harm in Glasgow, Scotland and the wider UK.” – Participant at White Paper Roundtable

“Today was a real positive challenge, with lots of serious thinking, discussion and decisions, which are necessary if we want to move forward and see change” – Participant at Changing the Narrative roundtable

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