National Gambling Support Network Reaches 110,000 People as Early Intervention and Local Access Expand

110,000 People Reached Since 2023

Since April 2023, more than 110,000 people have used the NGSN for gambling-related support. Services include brief advice, structured therapy, and residential care, offered through helplines, local providers, the NHS, and specialist centres.

Support is organised across three tiers.

• Tier 2 focuses on early intervention through brief and extended conversations. These often involve trained professionals who offer advice and explain treatment options. Aftercare also falls under this tier. These conversations are typically with trained professionals who can assess needs and offer aftercare or escalate to treatment if needed.
• Tier 3 includes one-on-one counselling, group sessions, and cognitive behavioural therapy.
• Tier 4 is the most intensive, with residential treatment centres providing care for severe cases.

One individual, Jackie Menzies, shared how treatment at Adferiad’s Parkland Place Centre marked a turning point in his life.

“I owe Cheryl and the team at Adferiad my life. From the moment I was introduced to them, I was contacted, informed, and treated with respect and understanding for both myself and my addiction. I was guided and informed of what options might be available to me and how I might be able to get help. I had treatment at their Parkland Place Centre and from the empowering attitudes of the staff, I have enrolled in a Level 3 counselling course at my local college, and I’m looking to the future to be able to help people who are suffering from addictions like I am to grow and be able to find peace and happiness again.”

Self-Referrals and Brief Interventions on the Rise

The network’s region-first model relies on local knowledge and delivery. This approach has helped raise self-referrals by over 50% since 2023. More people now contact local providers directly for help.

Brief interventions have also become more common. In the second year of operation, the number of people receiving this type of support grew by 93%. That’s an increase from 11,000 to more than 21,000. These short conversations help people take action before problems escalate.

Today, most people receive an assessment within two days of reaching out. The network adapts to individual needs by offering flexible options such as group work, one-on-one therapy, and peer-led sessions. After treatment, many continue with aftercare to support long-term recovery.

National Leadership and Ongoing Improvements

GambleAware’s Deputy Chief Executive, Anna Hargrave, emphasised the value of building on early insights to refine the system:

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of people being supported and importantly, an increase in brief interventions and self-referrals, which means we can support people earlier and reduce the potential for further harm.”

Joy Allen, Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham, added that gambling addiction must be treated with the same seriousness as substance abuse.

“Gambling, like any addiction, has the power to completely control the lives of those affected and those closest to them. It can negatively impact individuals financially, emotionally, socially and in terms of their mental wellbeing. We need to think of gambling-addiction in the same way in which we think of and support those with Drugs and Alcohol addiction. It is an illness that can lead people to commit crime to feed their addiction and those in its thrall need rehabilitation, not censure. It can certainly lead to abject misery. It is estimated that there are nearly 500 gambling related suicides a year in England highlighting the urgent need to encourage more people to seek help. In 2023 around 5% of the North East population aged over 16 was classified as an ‘at risk’ gambler, often spending more than they afford and chasing losses leading to financial strain, anxiety and stress.”

In response, Durham Constabulary has signed the National Gambling Charter and committed to specialist officer training, aiming to better identify at-risk individuals and guide them to support.