And The Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF) is certainly putting its money where its mouth is, pledging more than £1m over three years to raise awareness of problem gaming among health workers and agencies that tackle social issues. A three-year programme aimed at GPs across England, Scotland and Wales will help them spot patients with gambling issues, and refer them for specialist treatment. The RGF hopes to train 1500 medics during the first two years of the scheme, and later to extend it to workers in other services that might encounter problem gamblers, such as debt advice agencies, mental health services, organisations dealing with drug and alcohol dependency, and prisons. It has commissioned the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to develop and run the project, with a budget of around £192,000 annually. The RCGP’s chair, Clare Gerada, confirms there’s a need for it: “Gambling is a serious problem but it does not get the same attention as other forms of addiction,” she said. “This new training programme opens up a new front in the battle to combat gambling-related harm,” added Baroness Julia Neuberger, the RGF’s chair. “Only a small proportion of people get the help they are looking for by going direct to specialist treatment services. We want to see them being identified earlier and helped to get access to services they need. “GPs are well-placed to identify people experiencing problems or harm related to gambling. People may go to their GP with problems such as depression, anxiety or stress, and these are sometimes associated with gambling-related harm.” Local heroes Another RGF project, meanwhile, will focus on one region particularly hard-hit by problem gambling: the area of western Scotland around Glasgow. There, a local charity – the RCA Trust – will receive £160,000 annually for three years to lead community organisations in an awareness campaign. The British Gambling Prevalence Survey in February showed that 75 percent of Scots had gambled in the previous year, slightly above the British average of 73 percent. And many forms of gaming – including football pools, bingo, real and online slots, and sports betting – were most popular in Scotland. Usage of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in Scotland was also almost double the UK average. “Relatively few gamblers are passed on to specialist support and treatment services,” said Alex Crawford, chief executive of the RCA Trust. “This is probably because of lack of awareness and uncertainty about how to deal with gambling-related problems. And only a very small percentage of those at risk of developing a gambling problem get the treatment or counselling they need. “We aim to increase awareness of gambling-related harm amongst the communities on our patch. We also want to develop the ability of front-line health and other community-based bodies to spot, support and refer problem gamblers to specialist treatment services.” The project, along with further RGF-funded pilots in the West Midlands and in south Wales, would also help develop evidence on the effectiveness of early intervention in dealing with gambling-related harm, said RGF chief executive Carol Stone. But the RGF’s work is not just about raising awareness: it also funds treatment directly, for example through a grant of about £500,000 to the National Problem Gambling Clinic which will allow that body to provide counselling on the phone and online as well as face-to-face. Using techniques including cognitive behavioural therapy, the clinic expects women to make up a large part of its client base – an indication that this addiction isn’t limited to the stereotypical hardcore gambler. Gaming and leisure operators can help fight problem gambling not only through practical measures on their premises, but also by supporting the organisations which work to tackle the issue – including GamCare and The Great Foundation as well as The Responsible Gambling Trust. Punch Taverns, for example, has recently given more than £50,000 to The Great Foundation to help pay for research, education and treatment. “Punch Taverns recognises that it has a positive role to play, alongside the rest of the industry, to encourage socially responsible gaming within its pubs. This donation will help The Great Foundation to encourage people to gamble within their means and fund the additional help that people may need,” said Peter Cawdron, the pubco’s chairman. Punch’s contribution, £52,061.60 in total, will help The Great Foundation reach its 2010-11 fund-raising target of £6m.