Mainstreaming gambling-related harm in Britain as a public health issue

Aim In this paper we make the case for gambling-related harm treatment services in Britain to be mainstreamed within the remit of public health. Although the focus of this article is on the British situation many of these issues are generalisable to other jurisdictions. The profile of problem gamblers In Britain, 0.9 % of adults are problem gamblers, and it is more common in the young, socially deprived and the ethnic minorities. Who provides and who should provide treatment services? At present in Britain, almost all dedicated funding to address gambling-related harm is provided by voluntary contributions from the gambling industry and the level of service provision is far from adequate. Mainstreaming gambling treatment Problem gambling is associated with a range of health and social harms yet it often goes unnoticed for a variety of reasons. Early interventions can minimise or prevent the negative effects of problem gambling on various spheres of the gambler's life, his/her family and wider society. Conclusion Consistent with plans to move the commissioning of drug-misuse treatment services within the remit of public health, it would seem entirely logical to commission gambling-related harm treatment services from the public health 'purse', and to request that gambling-related harm falls under the remit of the new Health and Well-Being Boards.