Our multidisciplinary team from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has recently completed a discovery into how digital services can help prevent gambling harms. We are now preparing to test ideas that help people understand their situation, decide what to do next and find the support they need.
Why we are doing this
When we talk about ‘gambling harms’, we mean the various negative impacts gambling can have on people who gamble, those close to them, and wider society. These can include impacts on finances, relationships, health, work and other areas of people’s lives.
In March 2026 the charity GambleAware closed. This charity had been funded voluntarily by the Gambling industry and was responsible for prevention and treatment of the harm some people experience from gambling.
The law has since changed, and gambling companies must now pay a statutory levy. This levy is collected by the Gambling Commission on behalf of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to fund prevention and treatment of gambling harm.
Under this levy, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, part of DHSC, has been commissioned to lead on gambling harms prevention in England. We are also working with prevention commissioners in Scotland and Wales as we develop our digital approach.
What work has happened so far
In October, a small team of DHSC digital specialists completed a discovery phase looking at how digital can help prevent gambling harms, and to plan how we will replace assets we inherited when GambleAware closed.
We worked closely with third sector organisations and two lived experience experts, as well as completing user research with people who gamble and with lived experience of gambling harm.
The next phase of work, alpha, will be split into two workstreams which will focus on:
- Helping people understand their situation and know what to do next
- Linking people with the human or specialist support they need
We know that people need clear and trustworthy information that helps them recognise potential harm and decide what to do. Some people will also need specialist support, such as strategies, tools or treatment services, so we will explore ways to link them to these.
Get involved
In early November, we will complete a round of research with people affected by a loved-one's gambling. We are currently reaching out to organisations we think could help us with this research.
In December our team will get bigger, and we will start testing content and ideas on how best to link people to services.
If you would like to be involved in this work or attend our show and tells, please get in touch with our product managers: Elliot.Hanger@dhsc.gov.uk and Irene.Barat@dhsc.gov.uk
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