Key issues
High prevalence of gambling participation and harm
In England, the highest prevalence of at-risk gambling was found in the North East (4.9%). North Tyneside was the second highest Upper Tier Local Authority (UTLA) for overall gambling participation, although participation is not indicative of harm.
Gambling-related harms are wide-ranging
At-risk and problem gambling cause harm to a person’s health, finances, relationships, employment as well as harming those close to them. Harmful gambling is also associated with an increase in criminality.
Harmful gambling exacerbates health inequalities
Gambling harm has a higher prevalence among those with poor health, poor mental health, who drink more alcohol, are unemployed and live in deprived areas. There is also a higher concentration of gambling premises in the more deprived areas of North Tyneside. Therefore, harmful gambling is related to and is likely to exacerbate health inequalities.
Population level approaches are needed
An individualising mindset adopted by the industry can cause stigma and is at-odds with the service user experience. Gambling harms can be experienced across the spectrum of gambling involvement/participation. Therefore, population level interventions that focus on the gambling environment, gambling products and the wider determinants of gambling-related harm are needed.
Low uptake of preventative and treatment services
Only a small proportion of problem gamblers engage with treatment services, and this tends to be when reaching crisis point. This proportion is even smaller for at-risk gamblers. Therefore, this highlights an unmet need for accessing support for gambling harm in North Tyneside.