Gamcare Annual Treatment Client Profile

GamCare Annual Treatment Client Profile 2020/2021

Contents Executive Summary

3

Introduction 6 Session and Client Numbers

2

7

Demographics 8 Gender 8 Age 8

Ethnicity 9

Employment status 9

Relationship Status 10 Location 10 Gambling Facilities and Activities 11 Impacts of Problem Gambling

14

Self-Reported Mental

Health Impacts

14

Self-Reported Health, Financial and Other Impacts

14

Self-Reported Alcohol and Drug Misuse

15

Self-Reported Debt Levels

15

| EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2021 |

Executive Summary 2021 This report outlines key client trends observed across our treatment services delivered by GamCare and our Partner Network during 2020/21. Some key findings from this year are: l Gamblers made up the

majority of clients attending treatment

l Over 55,000 assessment (tier

3) and treatment (tier 2 and 3) sessions were attended in 2020/21.

l The total number of unique

clients attending treatment in 2020/21 was 10,372; which equated to over 11,300 episodes of care. Gamblers accounted for 83% of clients.

l Tier 2 treatment made up

15% of all attended sessions, an increase on previous years.

Anecdotally, clients’ ability to engage in structured tier 3 treatment was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and UK lockdowns.

l Nearly a quarter (24%) of all

clients attending any sessions in 2020/21, only attended tier 2 sessions.

Tier 1: Support provided by non gambling specialists Tier 2: Gambling specific information, advice, triage assessment, brief and extended brief interventions, peer support Tier 3: If their needs are higher, a full assessment followed by structured treatment and/or referral to other services It is possible for a client to move between TIER 2 and 3, known as Stepping Up and Stepping Down.

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3

| EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2021 |

Executive Summary 2021 Working males under 35 are most likely to attend treatment l

Overall, the majority (72%) of clients identified as male.

l

Six out of every ten treatment clients were aged 35 or under.

The single largest group for both gamblers and affected others is aged 26-35 which accounted for 40% of all attending clients.

4 l

Affected others (19%) were considerably more likely than gamblers (6%) to be aged over 55; it is likely this group is made up of the parents of adult children who gamble.

l

The majority of both gamblers (80%) and affected others (79%) that attended treatment were employed.

l

Gamblers (31%) were considerably more likely to be single than affected others (7%).

l

The largest proportion of clients attending treatment in North West (21%), South East (14%) and East of England (13%).

2x

Online gambling is twice as likely to be reported as problematic than offline

Online Offline

81% l

40%

Online gambling was reported as problematic by 81% of treatment clients, compared to 40% for offline gambling.

This is an increase in online gambling and a decrease in offline from the previous year, likely caused, at least in part, by UK lockdowns and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in closure of venues and live sporting events being suspended.

Online facilities

34% l

30%

22%

The online facilities and activities most likely to be reported as problematic in 2020/21 were betting (34%), slots (30%) and casino games (22%).

Offline facilities

15% l

13%

The offline facilities and activities most likely to be reported as problematic in 2020/21 were betting shop betting (15%) and betting shop gaming machines (13%).

| EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2021 |

Relationships and family life are impacted

We need to talk about money

Gamblers + Affected Others

Debts Issues

62%

66%

85% l l

The majority of gamblers (62%) and affected others (85%) attending treatment are in a relationship or married.

Gamblers + Affected Others 73%

l

Financial Difficulties 80% l

85%

Two thirds (66%) of gamblers attending treatment reported having debt issues.

80% of gamblers attending treatment reported being impacted by financial difficulties because of their gambling.

73% of gamblers and 85% of affected others attending treatment identified family/ relationship difficulties as a significant impact of problem gambling.

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| INTRODUCTION |

Executive Introduction Summary 2021

6

GamCare provides a range of treatment interventions both individually and in groups, in face to face and online sessions. We provide support and treatment for people affected by their own gambling or by someone elses, such as a family member or friend. During this year in the pandemic our work was conducted entirely remotely via online sessions.

GamCare’s Model of Care is informed by cognitive behavioural therapy and other evidence based approaches such as motivational interviewing.

We recognise the importance of encouraging supportive social networks be they family, friends or peers in helping to maintain positive changes and prevent relapses.

This report gives GamCare, and Gamble Aware as the funder of these services, useful information when planning for and delivering education, outreach, support and treatment services for those experiencing gambling related harm.

By understanding who is using our treatment services we can ensure that we continue to make our services as accessible as possible and explore ways of reaching people who are currently underserved.

Scope of this report This report provides data and information about clients attending treatment services (both) in lower intensity extended brief interventions (tier 2) and in structured treatment (tier 3) from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021.

Our wider activities and impact are detailed in a separate report (the Trustees Annual Report) available on the GamCare website.

Data presented in this report relate to individual clients who attended treatment services, not individual courses of treatment, unless otherwise stated.

As it is possible for someone to undergo more than one course of treatment in a year this approach gives a more accurate picture of of who using our services.

| INTRODUCTION |

Table 2: Episodes and clients attending treatment by client type 2018/19 - 2020/21 2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

Total attended episodes of care 2

8,999

11,214

11,413

Total unique clients

8,461

10,441

10,372

Gambler

85%

82%

83%

Affected Other

15%

18%

17%

Type of client

2 - This includes individual episodes of care with at least one attended session in the year.

Session and Client Numbers l

Over 55,000 assessment and treatment sessions (both tier 2 and 3) were attended in 2020/21.

l

Tier 2 treatment made up 15% of all attended sessions, an increase on previous years.

l

l

l

Nearly a quarter (24%) of all clients attending any sessions in 2020/21, only attended tier 2 sessions. Anecdotally, clients’ ability to engage in structured tier 3 treatment was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and UK lockdowns.

Over 10,300 unique clients attended at least one session of treatment (Tier 2 or 3) in 2020/21, which equated to over 11,300 episodes of care.

Gamblers made up the majority of clients (83%) to attend treatment in 2020/21.

Attended sessions 2018/19 – 2020/21 Attended Tier 3 sessions

Attended Tier 2 sessions

6000

15%

5000

12% 4000

10%

7

3000

2000

90%

88%

85%

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

1000

Unique clients by treatment type 2020/21

Table 1: Attended sessions 2018/19 to 2020/21 (thousands)

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

Attended Tier 2 sessions

3,702

6,029

8,338

Attended Tier 3 sessions1

34,676

42,201

46,666

Total attended sessions

38,378

Tier 3 only Tier 2 only Tier 2 and 3

24%

59% 48,230

55,004

1 - Includes assessment and psychosocial treatment sessions.

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17%

| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

Demographics Gender l

The majority (82%) of gamblers who attended treatment in 2020/21 identified as male.

l

Conversely, the majority (77%) of affected others attending treatment identified as female.

Table 3: Client type by gender 2020/21 Gambler

Affected Other

Total

Female

18%

77%

28%

Male

82%

23%

72%

Transgender/ non-binary

<1%

<1%

<1%

n=

8,409

1,738

10,147

Affected Other

15%

18%

17%

8 Age l

Six out of every ten treatment clients were aged 35 or under. The single largest group for both gamblers and affected others is aged 26-35 which accounted for 40% of all attending clients.

l

Affected others (19%) were considerably more likely than gamblers (6%) to be aged over 55; it is likely this group is made up of the parents of adult children who gamble.

Table 4: Client type by age band 2020/21 Gambler

Affected Other

Total

Under 26

19%

16%

18%

26-35

42%

29%

40%

36-45

23%

20%

22%

46-55

11%

15%

12%

Over 55

6%

19%

9%

8,567

1,783

10,350

n=

| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

Ethnicity

Employment status

l

The majority of both gamblers (89%) and affected others (89%) who attended treatment were White.

l

The majority of both gamblers (75%) and affected others (76%) who attended treatment were employed.

l

Asian or Asian British was the next largest ethnic group (5% of gamblers and 4% of affected others).

l

Affected others were more likely than gamblers to be homemakers or retired (likely reflecting their relationships as either partner or parent).

l

Conversely, gamblers were more likely than affected others to be long term sick or disabled and unemployed.

Table 5: Client type by ethnicity 2020/21 Gambler

Affected Other

White

89%

89%

Black or Black British

3%

2%

Asian or Asian British

5%

4%

Mixed

2%

2%

Any other ethnic group

1%

3%

7,282

1,372

Student

3%

3%

Unemployed (looking for work)

10%

Unpaid voluntary work

n=

n=

Table 6: Client type by socio-economic status 2020/21 Gambler

Affected Other

Employed

75%

76%

Homemaker

2%

6%

In prison, in care, seeking asylum

0%

0%

4%

Long term sick or disabled

10%

4%

0%

0%

Other Economically Inactive

0%

0%

8,751

1,507

Retired

2%

7%

Student

2%

2%

Unemployed (looking for work)

10%

5%

Unpaid voluntary work

0%

0%

5,585

913

n=

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| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

Relationship Status

Location

l

The large majority of affected others are either in a relationship (40%) or married/in civil partnership (45%). Just over one in ten affected others were single, separated or divorced.

l

A smaller majority of gamblers using treatment services were also either in a relationship (39%) or married/in civil partnership (23%) but over a third were single, separated or divorced (37%).

Table 7: Client type by relationship status 2020/21 Gambler

10

Affected Other

l

The largest proportion of clients attending treatment in North West (21%), South East (14%) and East of England (13%).

l

When compared to the general adult population in each region the proportion of clients attending treatment was generally consistent apart from the North West which was over-represented in treatment clients.

Table 8: Region of home postcode of clients attending treatment 2020/21 Treatment Clients

% of adult population

East Midlands

6%

7%

Divorced/Dissolved Civil Partnership

2%

In a Relationship

39%

40%

East of England

13%

9%

Married/Civil Partnership

23%

45%

London

10%

13%

Separated

4%

4%

North East

5%

4%

Single

31%

7%

North West

21%

11%

Widowed

1%

1%

Northern Ireland

0%

3%

5,557

937

Scotland

3%

8%

South East

14%

14%

South West

9%

8%

Wales

4%

5%

West Midlands

7%

9%

Yorkshire and The Humber

7%

8%

10,305

66,796,807

n=

3%

N=

3 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/ populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/ populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland

| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

Gambling Facilities and Activities 2020/21. This is an increase in online gambling and a decrease in offline from the previous year, likely caused, at least in part, by UK lockdowns and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in closure of venues and live sporting events being suspended.

Figures for gambling facilities and activities are calculated as a percentage of all gamblers who provided at least one gambling activity.

This year data is only included where a client has provided a valid facility and activity (and so excludes things like online – not specified). This is to provide consistency with the Data Reporting Framework (DRF) the national reporting standard for all GambleAware commissioned services. l

l

The online facilities and activities most likely to be reported as problematic in 2020/21 were betting (34%), slots (30%) and casino games (22%).

l

The offline facilities and activities most likely to be reported as problematic in 2020/21 were betting shop betting (15%) and betting shop gaming machines (13%).

Online gambling was reported as problematic by 81% of gamblers attending treatment compared to just 40% for offline gambling in

Online/offline gambling of treatment clients 2018/19 - 2020/21 Offline

Online

90% 80%

81%

70% 69%

60% 50% 40%

50%

57%

55% 40%

30% 20% 10% 0% 2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

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Number of respondents = 7,569 (2020/21), 8,218 (2019/20) and 6,936 (2018/19)

11

| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

Gambling facilities and activities of treatment clients 2019/20 and 2020/21 2019/20

2020/21 5%

0%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30% 31%

Online Betting 26%

Online Slots 19%

Online Casino Games Online Poker

2% 3%

Online Bingo

2% 3% 4%

Online Other

8%

Betting Shop Betting

12

15%

Betting Shop Gaming Machines

13%

Betting Shop Other

2%

Casino Table Games Casino Gaming Machings

Bingo Club Gaming Machines

1% 0.4%

Arcades Gaming Machines

Scratch cards Other

7%

2% 1% 1% 1%

National Lottery

5%

5%

Bingo Club Bingo

3% 1%

30%

4%

2% 4% 5% 6%

9%

19% 20%

30%

35% 34%

40%

| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

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| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

Impacts of Problem Gambling Figures for impacts of gambling are calculated as a percentage of all clients who provided at least one reason in the relevant year.

14

Only impacts reported by clients within the relevant year are included (so it does not include impacts that clients may previously have provided).

Impacts are self-reported and may be being experienced currently or in the recent past for the person. The impacts are split into separate sections covering:

l

Mental Health

l

Health, Financial and Other Impacts

l

Alcohol and Drug Misuse

l

Debt

Self-Reported Mental Health Impacts

Self-Reported Health, Financial and Other Impacts

l

Anxiety/stress was the most common mental health impact for both gamblers and affected others attending treatment in 2020/21.

l

15% of gamblers attending treatment in 2020/21 reported having suicidal thoughts/ ideations either currently or in the past. Where the person has intention to take their life our teams take appropriate actions, which include but are not limited to, contacting emergency services or NHS crisis teams.

Table 9: Episodes and clients attending treatment by client type 2018/19 - 2020/21 Affected Other

Over three quarters (80%) of gamblers attending treatment reported being impacted by financial difficulties as a result of their problem gambling. This was followed by 73% identifying family/relationship difficulties.

l

Unsurprisingly, for affected others, the most common impact described was family/relationship difficulties, reported by 85% of clients.

Table 10: General impacts of problem gambling 2019/20 and 2020/21 Affected Other

Gambler

2019/20

2020/21

2019/20

2020/21

Anxiety/ Stress

94%

92%

92%

91%

Mental Health

36%

31%

46%

41%

Feeling Isolated

52%

36%

62%

44%

Suicidal thoughts/ ideations

6%

5%

20%

15%

1,305

1,255

7,984

7,121

N=

l

Gambler

2019/20

2020/21

2019/20

2020/21

General Health

29%

23%

30%

27%

Domestic Abuse

4%

5%

1%

1%

Family/ Relationship Difficulties

82%

85%

76%

73%

Financial Difficulties

55%

56%

80%

80%

Housing Problems

9%

8%

13%

12%

Work Difficulties

19%

16%

27%

22%

Criminal Activity

1%

1%

10%

6%

1,305

1,255

7,984

7,121

N=

| TREATMENT DATA SUMMARY |

Self-Reported Debt Levels The figures presented here are for gamblers only due to a high rate of non-disclosure for affected others, which anecdotally may be due to them not being fully aware of actual levels of debt. l

Over the past year, 66% of gamblers attending treatment reported having some level of debt.

l

Of the gamblers who provided an approximation of the level of debt, the most frequently mentioned was ‘less than £5000’ (38%), followed by £20,000 to £99,999 (20%).

Table 12: Reported debt levels of gamblers attending treatment 2020/21 Level of Debt

Treatment

Some debt

66%

No debt

34%

n=

5,486 1,305

Where debt level estimated:

Self-Reported Alcohol and Drug Misuse l

Less than £5,000

38%

£5,000 to £9,999

18%

£10,000 to £14,999

11%

£15,000 to £19,999

8%

£20,000 to £99,999

20%

£100,000 or more

2%

Bankruptcy/IVA

4%

n=

Over one in ten gamblers attending treatment reported alcohol misuse.

Table 11: Drug and Alcohol Misuse of treatment clients 2019/20 and 2020/21 Affected Other

Gambler

2019/20

2020/21

2019/20

2020/21

Alcohol Misuse

5%

4%

14%

13%

Drug Misuse

1%

1%

8%

7%

1,305

1,255

7,984

7,121

N=

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3,080

15

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