GambleAware, a UK-based charity focusing on tackling problem gambling, is actively pursuing a course that will clean up the industry from harm and enable consumers to enjoy better gambling experiences. This cannot be achieved without the input from industry stakeholders and ordinary people, and the latest Lived Experience Council is a new attempt by the organization to fight gambling harm by bringing in community ambassadors who can set a good example for their peers.
Helping Those Who Need Help
GambleAware wants to put the limelight on people who are or have been impacted by gambling, and specifically by gambling-related harm, and who can share their stories as inspiration for others who are on the journey to recovery. These people will be recounting their stories and how the gambling habits of family or friends have impacted them.
The idea is to bring awareness about the issue and help people make conscious decisions not to gamble excessively. As people who have been through this, those who participate as council members will use their specific knowledge and understanding of the issue to guide and inspire others.
Commenting on this initiative, GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond welcomed the opportunity and said that the entire organization was committed to making a positive change in people’s lives through the lived experience of gambling harm. The decision to pick people who have been affected by the issue was not random either.
Communities Have a Significant Part to Play
GambleAware wants to actively create a community of individuals who have a deeper understanding and knowledge of gambling harm that comes from their own brushes with the problem. The trust can then relate important insight that can help guide long-term policies for GambleAware which can be communicated to stakeholders and lawmakers. Osmond is particularly optimistic about the future of the initiative:
“The new Council and community members will bring their unique insight, expertise, and knowledge to GambleAware and help us in creating a society free from gambling harms.”
Through a more community-based approach, the Lived Experience Council will help to tackle problem gambling and gambling harm on a more localized level. GambleAware has demonstrated its ability to be a leader in local communities in the past, helping set up the ALERTS group which acts as an assistance structure that gets help to those who need it.