BETTER CHANGE
Affected Others A
In our new regular column, organisation Better Change looks at different aspects of problem gambling in order to help the industry move forward with positivity. We begin with a look at ‘Affected Others’…
s part of the gaming industry, we’re often asked what our fi rst dabble was with a bet. Many will recall choosing a horse and jockey in the Grand National with family or reminisce over fond holiday memories playing 2p machines in the
arcades along the seafront. The excitement, the anticipation, the cheers, the jackpot bells, the tumbling and scooping up of pennies. Little pockets laden with coins. “It’s just what we do…” is a common phrase among friendship
Victoria Reed, Better Change co-founder
groups taking a punt on the football scores or having a day out at the races. Responsible gambling is an enjoyable and social experience. The primary focus is on the fun. And gambling is normal. It’s a popular leisure time activity with
no guarantee of reward. The National Lottery is the most popular gambling activity in the UK, with more than 35% participating weekly. It is a concept that dates as far back as the Palaeolithic period, a time before written history; the earliest six-sided dice date to about 3000 BC but are known to have been based on dice made thousands of years earlier. Gambling today remains an entertainment expense. Gambling is normal – gambling related harms are not. The critical rule of responsible gambling lies in the ability to recognise how often we gamble, how long for and how much is spent. Any dramatic change or over developing pattern with any of
these elements can have a signifi cant impact on an individual but in addition those close to them be it family or friends. It is reasonably estimated for every gambler at a high risk of harms, between six to 10 family and friends can be directly impacted.
22 FEBRUARY 2022
This group is known as the ‘affected other’ and is the term used to describe those affected by someone else’s problematic gambling from partners, parents, children to siblings and wider family, friends and work colleagues. There are estimated to be 4.3 million people in the UK living in
the wake of gambling related harms. Given the outward signs of problem gambling are quite complex – the harms are very often hidden until serious consequences set in. One mother explained how her son’s mounting debts fi nally led
to his request for help from his family, she said: “Well we knew something had been wrong for about a year, but we couldn’t put our fi nger on it, he wouldn’t tell us. “He had lost weight, become quite distracted, spent a lot of time in his bedroom, spent a lot of time sleeping, which I think was escapism. “We confronted him and confronted him, and fi nally he decided
to speak to my husband because the debts were spiralling out of control.
“I think he just had nowhere to go with it anymore.” Often those discovering a problem gambler within the family will speak of their own sense of shame and guilt. Little is often spoken of these experiences, with those voices fearful of the stigma and judgment of others. Unfortunately, despite problem gambling now recognised as a health disorder, there remain negative attitudes and beliefs towards people who have experienced gambling-related harm. One family member described an ‘overwhelming sense of grief emotionally and physically’ after discovering her partner had been diagnosed with a gambling disorder. ‘Life,’ she says, ‘felt like it was out of control. The mother of two young children added: “As with many families
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