GamCare focuses on underage gamblers in new mental-health marketing campaign
National Gambling Helpline body unveils new initiative fronted by boxer and YouTuber Viddal Riley
GamCare has unveiled a new advertising campaign targeting a perceived increase in instances of gambling-related harm among underage gamblers.
The campaign, known as “BigDeal”, includes the launch of a dedicated online hub for young people where they can find information, advice and support if they’re concerned about themselves or the gambling behaviour of a loved one.
The website also offers support to parents and training to those who work with young people, such as teachers, youth workers and social workers.
In addition, the charity has created an educational video starring boxer and YouTube star Viddal Riley alongside neuroscientist Dr Jack Lewis to highlight the impact of gambling on a young person’s brain development.
The video features an MRI scanner and aims to illustrate the parts of the brain at risk when experiencing gambling-related harm.
In the video, Riley and Lewis discuss how the reward pathway, located in one of the oldest, central parts of the human brain, is responsible for driving all human decisions.
They look at how regular gambling causes changes in its wiring to encourage more frequent betting and higher stakes despite the heavy losses.
The video will air on social media sites including YouTube.
According to latest data released by the charity, 70% of calls received by the National Gambling Helpline from young people were related to instances of gambling-related harm.
The charity, which operates the helpline, said seven in every 10 of the 353 young people that called in were doing so about their own gambling-related harm issues, as opposed to 20% of young people calling in out of concern for a family member or friend.
A further 8.5% of calls received were from young people considered to be at-risk of gambling-related harm.
According to GamCare user data from its support services, including the helpline, 77% of young people that utilised support services did so after gambling online.
GamCare’s user data came from 70,557 users and was collected over a three-year period from January 2018 to January 2021.
“It’s been an extremely difficult year for young people, with many using the internet and social media not only to be in touch with friends, but also as a form of escapism,” GamCare CEO Anna Hemmings said.
“This makes it harder for parents to tell when their child might be displaying unhealthy behaviours, as often the symptoms, such as being withdrawn, can be confused with other issues and challenges teenagers face in this difficult period of their lives.
“That’s why we hope BigDeal will be a resource that speaks to young people in plain terms on the core issues related to gambling, the harms they could encounter, plus how they can get further support from our helpline,” Hemmings added.