NICE made the recommendations in its final guidance for healthcare professionals on identifying, assessing and managing harms related to problem gambling in the UK, published today (28 January).

NICE believes GPs should be asking patients about gambling habits alongside other potentially harmful activities such as smoking and alcohol consumption, especially during appointments related to conditions such as depression and anxiety which may put the patient at higher risk of gambling-related harm.

The body also suggests sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may too face an increased risk of gambling addiction.

In response, NICE is promoting a questionnaire on the NHS website which assesses whether a patient is at risk of harmful gambling behaviours.

The survey is based on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), which scores people based on their gambling activities. An eight or higher on the index indicates they should seek support and treatment from a specialist service.

NICE’s chief medical officer Jonathan Benger hopes the new guidance will aid problem gamblers in finding assistance. He noted in a statement: “Gambling-related harm has a devastating impact on those who experience it and the people close to them.

“Our useful and usable guideline will help healthcare professionals and others to identify those needing help earlier and ensure they get the treatment and support they need.”

Baroness Fiona Twycross, the minister for gambling in the UK, added: “We welcome this guidance from NICE on identifying, assessing and managing gambling-related harms, which will support those experiencing harmful gambling to get access to the right support.”

Tailored approach

In NICE’s view, it is imperative that healthcare professionals identify those who need treatment as early as possible, emphasising it’s crucial to ensure that “stigma, shame and fear of disclosure” do not prevent those seeking support.

Additionally, NICE recommends an approach that is tailored to each patient, including services specific to their vocation such as veterans’ groups, as well as taking into account people’s ethnic backgrounds or religion.

Gambling-related treatment should also be conducted in separate locations from services for alcohol or substance dependencies, with the involvement of friends or family a potentially useful tool, provided the patient gives their consent.

Dr Claire Fuller, the national clinical director for Primary Care, believes NICE’s guidance will boost GPs’ abilities to help those struggling with their gambling.

“We welcome NICE’s decision as gambling can have a massive impact on people’s lives and the lives of the people that care for them, and as healthcare professionals, we need the right tools to help tackle gambling-related harms,” Fuller explained.

Problem gambling in the UK

In November 2023, the Gambling Commission published new research that found 2.5% of the 4,000 respondents to its survey had scored eight or higher on the PGSI, categorising them as problem gamblers. A further 3.5% were rated as moderate risk, scoring between three and seven.

With one in 40 Britons considered a problem gambler, NHS England has made attempts to alleviate the issue, opening seven gambling clinics in 2024.

In November 2024, the British government laid out plans for a new statutory levy on gambling profits, with the objective of raising £100 million (€119.3 million/$124.4 million) to reinvest into services helping to prevent and treat gambling-related harms.

The rate to be paid by each company will range from 0.1% to 1.1% of their gross gambling yield (GGY), depending on the sector, vertical and the type of betting they offer. It will also be determined by each company’s operating costs and their products’ risk profile.

Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst has called upon the government to provide clarification on the rates operators will be mandated to pay.

“I think there is still some much-needed clarity from government here,” Harris told a Harris Hagan webinar on 15 January. “We were slightly surprised and concerned to see there were ratchets up in the percentages of donations on the statutory levy.”