GambleAware

Who we are

GambleAware is the leading charity working to keep people safe from gambling harms. As a commissioner we deliver prevention and treatment services for gambling harms in Great Britain.

Every year we lead major public health campaigns and fund access to free, confidential treatment for nearly 12,000 people and over 41,000 calls to the National Gambling Helpline. 

We work in close collaboration with the NHS, clinicians, local and national government, gambling treatment providers, as well as other services like mental health, substance misuse and criminal justice, to ensure that the whole system works together to help people suffering from gambling harms.

As an independent charity, GambleAware has an extremely robust system of governance processes in place and is accountable to the Charity Commission. Members of our independent Board of trustees are leaders within the NHS and public health sector and have no connection to the gambling industry. We work closely with DCMS, DHSC, OHID, the Gambling Commission and the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG), who all recognise our integrity and independence.

In April 2021 GambleAware published a new five-year strategy which defined the charity’s vision of a society where people are safe from gambling harms. This vision is based on a whole-system approach, which acknowledges the many other organisations, networks and individuals, including those who have lived experience of gambling harms, that already play a key role across the system, or have the potential to do so in the future.

As an independent charity, we are regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Our charitable objectives are:

1. The advancement of education aimed at preventing gambling harms for the benefit of the public in Great Britain, in particular young people and those who are most vulnerable, by carrying out research, by providing advice and information, by raising awareness, and by making grants; and,
2. Working to keep people in Great Britain safe from gambling harms through the application of a public health model based on three levels of prevention: primary – universal promotion of a safer environment; secondary – selective intervention for those who may be ‘at risk’; and, tertiary – direct support for those directly or indirectly affected by gambling disorder, by carrying out research, by providing advice and information, by raising awareness, and by making grants for the provision of effective treatment, interventions and support.

GambleAware has a vision to see a society where everyone is safe from gambling harms. To help achieve this, we are steered by a clear set of values which guide our behaviour and shape everything we do. GambleAware and its staff are committed to:

Independence: We act with independence in commissioning projects which are in the interest of preventing and treating gambling harms.

Integrity: We act fairly and with integrity.

Equality: We strive to achieve equality of access and outcomes for people experiencing gambling harms. 

Being evidence-based: We are conscientious in ensuring our work is evidence-based and in the absence of evidence, we will apply the precautionary principle to fulfil our charitable purpose. 

Equal opportunities

GambleAware is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – with an EDI group at the core of the charity that is committed to driving real change throughout the organisation. Our aim is to ensure that our staff, partners, stakeholders and those we commission – at all levels – are committed to driving change for a more equitable society promoting zero tolerance towards inequality, exclusion, racism and all forms of discriminations through the organisation and our partners.

GambleAware will be conducting an annual staff survey to allow for an open, honest and confidential way for staff to feedback and share their observations of the charity and make suggestions for improved ways of working going forward.

Career development

At GambleAware, we pride ourselves on offering a work environment that encourage professional growth. We have a competency framework in place that sets out the skills, knowledge and behaviours that lead to successful performance. The framework is used as a basis for determining what employees need to achieve and how they can work to achieve this.

The framework is designed to empower staff to take control of their career and we deliver on this by offering regular internal and skills-based training opportunities for all employees, at any level. There are also opportunities for coaching across the team and with junior colleagues and we also provide an internal mentoring framework for all staff.