We need to talk about gambling

a post for the Demos blog by Ian Wybron

If there was ever any doubt, the recent publication of statistics by the Gambling Commission reaffirmed the extent to which gambling, in one way or another, is woven into the fabric of British society. Six in ten of us have gambled in the past year. For the majority, this is enjoyable and problem free. But the figures also show that probably half a million people suffer from quite serious gambling problems, harming themselves, their families and friends, and the wider economy.

For the past year, Demos has been piloting educational resources in secondary schools as part of wider efforts to help prevent gambling-related harm. The project has been a partnership between Demos, the PSHE Association, Mentor, the Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust, and a range of independent teachers and advisors. It has been supported by the independent charity GambleAware. There are four lessons which slot into a planned programme of PSHE provision for 15 year olds. They encourage pupils to weigh risk, identify manipulative behaviour, manage impulses, help others – covering a range of ‘risky behaviours’, but with gambling as a major case study. With pupils just back to school, we will run our final surveys and see what impact we’ve had on attitudes and behaviour.

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