BETTER CHANGE
Gambling Addiction and the Workplace
T Serhiy Kapitonenko/Adobe Stock
he gaming industry is without a doubt one of the fastest paced, most rewarding and exciting places to work. That’s probably why 119,000 people across the UK have been attracted into exciting roles within our glittering casinos, innovative
start-ups or the hustle and bustle of a busy arcade. As an industry, we’re hyper aware that we have a responsibility
to protect our most vulnerable customers and have pledged to spend over £100m on treating gambling harm by 2023. But how much of that spend will go towards the treatment of gambling harm amongst our own colleagues? As the sporting calendar starts to warm up for the summer,
many workplaces will be innocently arranging sweepstakes for the big events like the Grand National, Wimbledon or the Strictly fi nal. Even charities such as the British Heart Foundation, St John Ambulance and Help for Heroes all
With a fresh approach to gambling harm, Better Change is working to change the industry’s approach to its most problematic issue. This month, we look at the potential for problematic behaviour within the gambling industry’s workforce…
suggest holding a sweepstake as a potential fundraising idea, so can they really be that bad? Social activities like these can and often do increase camaraderie and team spirit in the workplace, especially during these new times of increased remote working, but they can also lead to signifi cant harm for any employee who is battling with gambling harm. Back in 2019, the Gambling Commission released their Gambling Participation report which suggested that 47% of UK adults had gambled at least once during the previous four weeks. It’s not unreasonable to think that the number of gaming employees gambling monthly is signifi cantly higher and at a much higher frequency than once per month. Afterall, what better place to work if you’re a football fan, horse racing enthusiast or a budding poker player. There are numerous workplace factors which can, and do, enhance the attractiveness of gambling when you’re working day in, day out with high rollers, the bright lights of the latest slot machine, testing a new game to check for bugs or sending exciting promotions to VIP customers. Indeed, the culture of most gaming organisations is one which is often highly competitive, highly stressful and highly stimulating so it’s little wonder that employees are tempted to not only gamble more often than their compatriots in other industries but at signifi cantly higher levels of spend. In jurisdictions such as Gibraltar and Malta, where a large part of the workforce is employed within the gaming industry, it’s rife with anecdotal stories about employees displaying clear and signifi cant markers of harm being ‘egged on’ to gamble by their colleagues – particularly on especially vulnerable days such as payday or during key fi xtures like the Grand National or FA Cup. When things get out of hand for these individuals, the barriers
to accessing support are great. Traditional support routes often focus on abstinence which isn’t always realistic when you’re confronted with the opportunity to gamble for an average of 40 hours a week. Admitting there’s a problem to a line manager is too daunting with the threat of dismissal and the fear of losing access to the vice is too much to contemplate.
28 MARCH 2022
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