The British and Gaming Council (BGC) recently announced a new £10 million program for gambling education and support. It will be delivered via Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) and GamCare.

Independent initiative by BGC

The BGC is an industry body representing gambling operators in the UK. Its new £10 million plan is an independent gambling educational effort. The initiative will be taken forward by GamCare and Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM). They will be undertaking educational programs through the UK, including England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The charities will focus on ensuring that 11-19-year olds in the UK are educated about gambling-related risk. Each of the young persons will be given at least one gambling awareness education session.

The BGC will be providing funding for these programs independently. It will cover different types of gambling products and environments to help teenagers understand how they should gamble in a responsible manner.

Safer gambling plans

The new educational program is a part of the safer gambling commitments that the BGC announced last November. The program aims to directly educate 120,000 young people. It will also provide training to over 100,000 professional educators who can go on and educate more young people across the country. This will include youth workers and teachers, among others.

Individuals who are working with young people should get better information about the risks of gambling. The info will help them learn how to identify gambling-related harm in their age group and will also tell them where to send young people if they need assistance.

Anna Hemmings, the CEO of GamCare, said that her charity has been working with young people and professionals working with this age group for years. She added that there are polarized views related to gambling and young people do not understand the risks associated with gambling.  Hemmings also said that gambling education should be imparted like traditional education.

The program can also help family members and parents to access information that could help them understand gambling and young people better. These resources will provide information on how to keep their teens safe and get support or help when needed.