GamCare: UK gambling has no debt advice…
Summary
GamCare has published the first evaluation of the Money Guidance Service (MGS), a gambling-specific debt guidance programme funded by the charity. The MGS evaluation — carried out by specialists from Toynbee Hall and the University of Derby — finds a “critical gap” between gambling support services and debt advice in the UK. The report shows one-to-one guidance improved financial stability, reduced debts, boosted confidence and supported recovery for people harmed by gambling.
Key Points
- MGS is currently the UK’s only national initiative offering gambling-specific money guidance, launched as pilots in 2022 and expanded nationally in 2023.
- The evaluation describes a “critical gap” between mainstream debt advice and gambling support; MGS helps bridge that gap.
- One-to-one guidance produced measurable benefits: better budgeting, reduced anxiety and improved wellbeing for participants.
- Statistics referenced: 76% of National Gambling Helpline callers report gambling-related financial difficulty; 31% cite financial struggles as a key driver of their gambling.
- GamCare urges the new Statutory Gambling Levy commissioners (OHID, NHS, UKRI) to back dedicated research into wider social harms including debt, domestic abuse and women-specific treatment pathways.
Content Summary
The Money Guidance Service evaluation, funded by GamCare, compiles expert reviews and participant feedback to show how tailored money guidance can materially help people recover from gambling-related financial harm. Interviews and stakeholder responses highlight improved budgeting skills, reduced debt burdens and a renewed sense of hope among service users. Kathy Wade, MGS manager at GamCare, said the findings reinforce the need to implement the report’s recommendations to help people regain control of their finances.
The MGS began as regional pilots in the East Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber in 2022 and scaled nationally in 2023, working alongside the National Gambling Helpline and GamCare treatment services. The charity is calling on the bodies managing the new Statutory Gambling Levy to fund research into social harms beyond clinical treatment, and to create specialist pathways where needed.
Context and Relevance
This evaluation arrives as the UK’s national support network transitions to a Statutory Gambling Levy with prevention led by OHID, treatment funded by the NHS and research overseen by UKRI. For policy makers, treatment providers and operator safer-gambling teams, the report signals that financial harm linked to gambling is under-served by generic debt advice and that integrated, gambling-aware money guidance delivers clear benefits.
Why should I read this
Short version: if you work in regulation, treatment, operator compliance or public health — this matters. The report shows practical wins from targeted money guidance and flags big gaps the new levy structures must fix. Read it to find out where support actually helps people, what stakeholders recommend, and why debt advice needs gambling awareness rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Source
Source: https://igamingexpert.com/news/regulation/player-protection/gamcare-money-debt-2025/
