Past research has indicated that only 5-12% of people experiencing harmful gambling seek formal treatment due to perceived and structural barriers. In its place, self-help strategies are a common and often preferred way for people experiencing gambling harms to reduce these harms. It has been demonstrated that such strategies can be successful in significantly reducing gambling severity in the absence of formal treatment.

In this context, Alma Economics was commissioned by GambleAware to explore the use of self-help strategies among people who are experiencing gambling-related harms. We carried out a Rapid Evidence Assessment to explore the evidence on the use and effectiveness of different types of self-help strategies. This included exploring which combinations of strategies are used, how marginalised communities engage with these strategies, and learnings from adjacent sectors (e.g. substance use, mental health).

Our resulting report and evidence map provide a comprehensive overview of the literature on self-help strategies along with key recommendations and identify knowledge gaps and areas for future research.

➥ Read our report here.