Following the news of the pilot project to be run in the Birmingham and Solihull areas by the charity Aquarius, with the aim of minimising gambling-related harm, the Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF) has said it will be funding an additional two pilots later this year. Two other locations in Britain will be selected but announcements about these will be made in the autumn. A key aim of the pilots is to develop local capability and strong local relationships that can be sustained after the funded programme of work is completed. Grants of around £160,000 per year for three years will be available to each pilot project.

Based on data from the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007, between 236,500 and 284,000 people directly experience gambling problems, and many more are believed to be at risk of developing problems. RGF consider this to be an underestimate due to the survey cohort not including populations thought to be at high risk of experiencing harm from gambling, such as the homeless and prison populations.

The Pilots aim to assist local stakeholders in understanding more about problem gambling, gambling-related harm and the needs of specific groups in their communities. High levels of substance misuse, mental health problems, financial and social issues co-occur with gambling problems. As well as the individual gambler being affected, the impact on families and the wider community can be significant. The third pilot will be open to tender and a list of the criteria against which proposals and applications will be assessed will be provided to interested organisations and applicants.

The Pilots were originally identified in the 2009 Responsible Gambling Strategy Boards (RGSB) initial strategy and priorities document. The success of the pilots will be assessed through independent evaluations of each project and the overall programme of work. The Pilots will have an emphasis on identifying early warning signs of problematic gambling behaviour and then taking steps to tackle and address these behaviours so they do not develop into gambling problems. RGF believes that the best way to improve identification and intervene earlier is to build the capability of local community-based frontline services. (E-08.26.10)

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