GamCare has declared its confidence in its TalkBanStop initiative in association with Gamban and GAMSTOP in its effectiveness to reduce gambling-related harms among those who are most vulnerable to high-risk activity.
The TalkBanStop initiative is a 12-month pilot campaign launched in the spring of 2021 aimed at promoting the use of Gamban’s free tools to limit gambling spending, GamCare’s support services providing professional advice around gambling-related harm and making vulnerable bettors aware that they can register for the free GAMSTOP self-exclusion scheme.
Research undertaken by Ipsos Mori indicated that people who have made use of all three layers of the provided support within the initiative have reduced their gambling habits, reducing their exposure to gambling-related harms.
Ipsos Mori also discovered that awareness of the campaign among the most vulnerable or high-risk bettors has increased. It highlighted that knowledge of the free tools and support available had particularly increased and these tools were highlighted by respondents as ‘big obstacles’ to accessing betting and gaming websites, contributing to a change in perception.
Anna Hemmings, CEO of GamCare, commented on the results: “Since the TalkBanStop campaign started there has been huge value in the collaboration of the three partners, all of which have a shared aspiration in reducing gambling harms.
“What we’ve seen through the pilot is the ability to share best-practice with one another and provide the tools and support to make it as easy as possible for people to get help in one place.
“We believe the impact of our interventions, layered together, amplifies the effects of the others for the individual in recovery, just as our coming together as organisations has multiplied our efforts to achieve greater impact. Going forward, we want TalkBanStop to become normalised as a first port of call for anyone looking to stop or control their gambling.”