Young gamblers lack appropriate support services
Shafik Meghji
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Young people with gambling problems are being left "disenchanted" by the lack of appropriate support on offer to them, a charity has warned.
Despite having facilities to tackle drug and alcohol problems, youth and prison services are reluctant to address gambling issues, a study has concluded.
Many young people turn to the NHS for advice, but there are no NHS gambling-related services tailored to young people, who are "often left disenchanted by their experiences of trying to access help", researchers found.
The Gambling and Debt Pathfinder Study, commissioned by gambling support charity Gamcare, found many young people start gambling before their early teens. It called for gambling awareness education for pupils in the later years of primary schools and "financial literacy" lessons for younger children.
The report said: "There is a pressing need for further research into how best to meet the needs of this vulnerable group and how best to situate services that are more responsive to younger people.
"This study suggests that help and advice services for young people need to be closely tailored to the ways in which young people develop social networks and interact with each other."
An executive summery of the report is available from www.gamcare.org.uk. The full report will be available online from 16 October.
