We are a community of families bereaved by gambling-related suicide that raises awareness of the devastating effects of gambling disorder & campaigns for change The deaths of our loved ones were very sudden – “out of the blue” with no warning. They were not the result of massive gambling debts, rather what gambling had done to their hearts and their heads. We’re starting to get evidence from neuroscience that gambling on electronic machines affects mental health and even creates suicidal thoughts. Our children had all struggled with their gambling addiction for years, often being clear for many months at a time … but always dragged back in by an industry offering “free bets” and other give-aways. They all felt that they could never break free. No one knows exactly how many deaths there are related to gambling each year; research indicates that there may be between 250 and 650 gambling-related suicides every year in the UK … a minimum of one every working day. Gambling with Lives aims to: • Support families who have been bereaved by gambling related suicides • Raise awareness amongst gamblers, their families and friends, and health professionals of the dangerous effects of gambling on mental health, and the high suicide risk In support of these aims, we will also seek to: • Reduce gambling-related harm by supporting better regulation of gambling products which lead to an increased risk of gambling addiction and adverse effects on health • Promote the treatment of gambling as a health issue which requires improved access to health services integrated with the NHS, and access to support for families and friends • Give a voice to families and friends bereaved by gambling and bring the health issues surrounding gambling to the attention of policy makers and bodies responsible for regulating the gambling industry
External link for Gambling with Lives
Sheffield, GB
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Independent advisor on reform of harmful commodity industries and leader of the Coalition Against Gambling Ads
Ahead of the release of shocking statistics on the scale of gambling harm in Great Britain I spoke to BBC Breakfast about what the new government should do about it.
New Gambling Commission figures show the number of people harmed by gambling has been massively underestimated for years. The government must now step in to prevent more harm and deaths. The “problem gambling” rate is 2.5%, five to eight times higher than the 0.5% and 0.3% identified in previous surveys. 11.4 per cent of all participants reported thoughts of suicide or attempts, 4.9 per cent of these said this was related to their gambling. https://lnkd.in/e4MphQyk
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It's just over two years since I became a trustee of Gambling with Lives... if you've been affected by gambling-related suicide or would like to find out more about gambling reform (to address a significant public health problem), please check out our website https://lnkd.in/eFrjR9dU
Congratulations Keir Starmer and the Labour Party. We look forward to working together to #StopGamblingSuicides.
Whoever is Prime Minister tomorrow, they must listen to bereaved families & put measures in place to #StopGamblingSuicides.
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📢 APG launches report on public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harms On Monday (24 June), the Northern Ireland All-Party Group (APG) on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling launched its report on public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harm, at a special event in Stormont. The event was attended by representatives of all the main parties, as well as Departmental officials, stakeholders in health, communities and education, and charities such as Gambling with Lives and Samaritans. 🗣 Among the speakers were Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons, Minister of Health, Mike Nesbitt, Dr Matt Gaskell, a renowned expert on gambling harm, Professor Gerry Lynch, former Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Declan Cregan, a training officer for Gambling with Lives who has lived experience of gambling-related harm 📃 Chief among the report's recommendations is that gambling should be officially recognised as a public health issue in NI. Policies should not just focus on individual-level gambling harms but should include population-based approaches that prioritises harm prevention, in line with the public health approach adopted for alcohol and tobacco. To read the report 👇 https://lnkd.in/ebZjCAgZ