GambleAware Expands Gambling Education Hubs to England, Wales, Invests $3.4M

In August this year, GambleAware invested $5.5 million to support the first academic gambling research hub in the country. Now, the responsible gambling charity announced that it plans to invest some $3.4 million to expand gambling hub education to England and Wales.

GambleAware to Invest More in Gambling Education Hubs

It was last month when the UK’s responsible gambling charity, Gamble Aware, announced a major investment of $5.5 million to support the first academic gambling research hub in the country. Now, the responsible gambling charity announced that it will invest a further $3.4 million (£2.5 million) to expand the gambling education hub service to England, as well as Wales.

Early intervention and prevention aiming to reduce gambling harm among children and young adults are going to be one of the prime purposes of gambling education hubs. The new hubs will follow the model of the existing Scottish gambling education hubs, run by Fast Forward. However, based on recommendations and external evaluation of the existing programs, the new hubs will be adapted.

The Gambling Education Hubs to Train Teachers and Practitioners

The new gambling education hubs will help train core youth sectors, such as family services, formal education and youth services. It is expected that teachers and practitioners that participate in the training will have a better understanding and awareness of the risks that gambling has. Moreover, the participants are expected to better understand the impact of gambling harms on young people and what services are available to support them.

GambleAware acknowledged that many people in Great Britain may experience difficulties not only because of their gambling but also because of someone else’s. By educating practitioners and organizations across England and Wales, the new hubs plan to reduce the risk of young people being affected by gambling harms.

Invitations to Tender Open until November 2, 2021

GambleAware also explained that the new hubs will “reflect differences in curriculums, languages, regions, need and demand, and political and other contexts, specific to each nation.” The charity unveiled that the deadline for applications for the invitations to tender is 12 PM on November 2, 2021.

There are two separate invitations for tender launched by GambleAware: one for the new education hub in England and one for the hub in Wales. Additionally, the charity outlined that the bidders are expected to “demonstrate the involvement of people with lived experience of gambling harms in the development of the training content, its delivery and any supporting tools or resources.”