GambleAware is providing additional support for 18 to 24-year-olds who are looking to quit or reduce their gambling with the launch of a new gambling harm prevention app called the GambleAware Support Tool.
Offering free and anonymous evidence-based advice and support, the app is designed to prevent gambling harm from escalating. It allows users to set personal goals to help them cut down or quit gambling altogether.
The GambleAware Support Tool app allows users to track their activity by inputting their gambling frequency and spend, helping them on their journey to reduce or quit gambling.
Alongside the evidence-based advice and support, the app includes access to podcasts and educational material resources, as well as signposting to other support options such as GambleAware’s service finder tool and the National Gambling Helpline.
Self-help support
Downloadable from the Google Play and the Apple App store, the app comes in response to data from the 2024 Treatment and Support Survey released by GambleAware that shows 18 to 24-year-olds are twice as likely to want to reduce or quit gambling compared to the average among those who gamble (29% compared to 15%).
Since the app’s launch, the charity has stated that it is having a positive impact on the demographic, as 48% of users aged 18-24 have indicated their motivation to change their gambling habits is to “save money”, while 27% say they want to “feel happier”.
Part of the app’s development also came from GambleAware’s 2023 Audience Segmentation Report, which stated that of the up to 4.5 million people in Great Britain that want to reduce or quit gambling, 93% (over 4.2 million) wish to do so without using a treatment service, so a ‘self-help’ support pathway was neeeded.
“Whether individuals want to reduce, manage or stay gamble-free, the GambleAware Support Tool is here every step of your journey,” stated Alexia Clifford, Chief Communications Officer for GambleAware.
“The digital age means we essentially have a casino in our pocket, and we know increased accessibility leads to increased participation and therefore increased risk of harm.
“These harms are a growing public health issue, but early intervention is key, and the GambleAware Support Tool app is designed to give people a timely insight into their gambling, with the aim of supporting their journey to reducing or quitting their activity.”
Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines
The GambleAware Support Tool app was developed in line with the Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines (LRGG), which were created by academic gambling experts globally over four years.
Over 260 risk curve analyses involving over 60,000 people from eight countries who gamble were conducted by LRGG researchers, as well as an online survey with more than 10,000 respondents, focus groups with 50-plus people, two comprehensive literature reviews and collaboration with a group of top global gambling researchers.
As such, three limits have been highlighted from the LRGG’s research for anyone who wishes to keep gambling but reduce the risks associated with it. These include gambling no more than 1% of your income, gambling on no more than four days per month, and avoiding more than two types of gambling per month.
The GambleAware Support Tool app is the only app in Great Britain using the LRGGs to suggest limits for users who are looking to reduce their gambling.
Catherine Adams, a member of the GambleAware Lived Experience Council, said: “I would be gambling on the computer from six in the evening until six in the morning and I just was not sleeping.
“It’s positive being able to monitor your progress yourself and to see how well you’re doing in reducing or quitting your gambling if you’re goal-oriented. To see ‘I’ve done this many days now ‘or ‘I’ve saved this much money, I think it really does give variety of choice in your recovery.”
