Gambling-Related Harm: Training Opportunities
Gambling-related harm is increasingly recognised as a significant public health issue, with strong links to financial distress, relationship breakdown and deteriorating mental health.
Hertfordshire Public Health, in partnership with Breakeven, is offering free Gambling Awareness Training for anyone working with vulnerable groups. This includes staff across health, social care, housing, VCSE organisations, community roles and anyone who may encounter gambling-related harm in their work.
A few risk factors for gambling related harm:
- Heavy drinkers are over 7 times more likely to engage in harmful gambling than non-drinkers: Alcohol consumption is a key risk behaviour that increases the likelihood of problem gambling.
- People experiencing homelessness are over 10 times more likely to problem gamble
- Men are 4 times more likely to be harmful gamblers than women
- Low life satisfaction and poor mental health are correlated with problem gambling
- Military veterans are 8 times more likely to be problem gamblers
- People with ADHD and autistic people were twice as likely to experience gambling-related harm as their peers without these neurodivergent characteristics
- Believing gambling will improve finances: 42% of people gambling at harmful levels believed that gambling would help improve their financial situation in the next 12 months compared to 7% of adults in the UK
In Hertfordshire, it is estimated that 38,000 people experience problem gambling, and 78,000 people are affected by someone else’s gambling. Supporting early identification plays a vital role in reducing harm and helping people access support before crisis point.
We recommend watching this short 5-minute video to hear the experiences of people affected by gambling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5b_cl0GwaY
We would like to invite you to attend this Gambling Awareness training. There are two options of training:
1.5 hour Bet You Can Help Now! (MS Teams)
- 2nd July 2026, 1 – 2.30pm
- 16th September – 10 -11:30am
Full day accredited Level 2 training, Bet You Can Help (in person)
For further information and to book, please click this link: Public Health Training | Hertfordshire County Council
The training will give you an insight into the harm caused by gambling, how to recognise risks early and confidently offer support. Feedback received from people who have attended the training has been very positive. They said It gave them an understanding of the many different types of gambling, how it can easily become an addiction, and how important it is to routinely ask if people are affected by gambling (either their own or someone else’s).
The training is also suitable for managers and people in strategic roles and also those that have frontline roles. Please share this with colleagues and other organisations you work with too.
For more information on support services visit: Gambling | Hertfordshire County Council