RSPH Launches Second Annual Scroll Free September Campaign

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has launched the second annual Scroll Free September campaign. This year’s campaign will offer its participants an opportunity to self-exclude from online gambling. The added focus comes with the support of BeGambleAware’s Bet Regret campaign.

The Bet Regret campaign targets young men aged between 16 and 34 who gamble regularly on sport, particularly football, online. With the inclusion of gambling sites and apps, Scroll Free September supports the work of Bet Regret by asking online gamblers to self-exclude by taking part in the campaign plans.

In October, RSPH will launch a Gambling Health Alliance consisting of organisations concerned with the prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The new Alliance will seek to ensure that gambling and the harms which arise from this are placed on an equal footing with other major public health challenges, focussing on prevention, early intervention and increased community engagement.

“Following the success of Scroll Free September last year, we are delighted to offer participants in this year’s campaign the opportunity to self-exclude from online gambling. This paves an important step toward tackling gambling harm, by encouraging the public to take some time to reflect this September on their online behaviour and consider their actions, before making any decisions they may later regret,” Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive of RSPH said.

“Better understanding is needed of the harms arising from gambling, who is affected and what support can be provided to prevent harms from developing or escalating in the first place. Along with the establishment of the Gambling Health Alliance, by asking the public to use Scroll Free September as an opportunity to abstain from online gambling, we hope to place gambling harm further at the forefront of public health thinking and as a serious threat to our public’s health in its own right,” Shirley Cramer added.

“We all need to take a break from our phones every now and again, particularly now that gambling is accessible anytime and anywhere. We’re pleased to be supporting Scroll Free September and hope it will inspire people to take a moment to think about their betting habits,” Marc Etches, Chief Executive of GambleAware said.

Find out more and sign up to take part in the campaign at www.scrollfreeseptember.org.