UK gambling support charity GamCare has confirmed that inbound communications to the National Gambling Helpline regarding online betting harm have reached their highest cumulative levels in five years.
The data indicates that of the thousands of individuals reaching out for medical and financial assistance, exactly 82% cited remote online gambling as the primary driver of their harm, the highest documented rate since the lockdown periods of 2021.
The statistical surge materializes as the men’s World Cup prepares to kick off, with historical metrics showing an 11% increase in helpline outreach during the 2022 edition of the tournament. The charity has issued a public safety advisory urging communities to look for early indicators of compulsive play, warning that the current tournament schedule features late night kickoff times that provide more opportunities for vulnerable individuals to gamble in secrecy.
To expand its care network, GamCare has secured more than £4 million in state funding distributed under the UK’s newly introduced statutory levy system. The system has successfully distributed over £25 million in total to harm prevention, education, and treatment networks across the country, replacing voluntary contributions with mandatory operator fees.
Closing the Gap Between Harm and Professional Help
Victoria Corbishley, Chief Executive Officer at GamCare, confirmed that the multi million pound grant will be systematically deployed to expand regional clinical access and minimize treatment wait times:
“The publication of the statistics comes ahead of the start of the World Cup, with GamCare noting that the last edition in 2022 saw an 11-per-cent increase in outreach. Of those who have told the National Gambling Helpline about a form of gambling this year, 82 per cent cited online gambling specifically. This is the highest rate since 2021 when, for a significant part of the year, coronavirus lockdown restrictions were still in place.
We are urging people to be aware of the signs of gambling harm as the men’s World Cup gets underway this week, with more games to gamble on in this year’s tournament and later kick-offs offering more opportunities to gamble in secrecy. This grant will help us to reduce the gap between harm and help for thousands of people across England.”
