UK Charity Gambling with Lives Supports People Harmed by Gambling

Gambling with Lives, a UK-based charity, has taken initiatives to support people who are harmed by gambling. The charity will introduce a ground-breaking treatment and support system for people with gambling disorder and families affected by gambling.

This project comes after reports about the people harmed by gambling face judgmental behaviour and lack of empathy.

Liz Ritchie, Co-founder of Gambling with Lives, whose teenaged son Jack committed suicide after suffering from gambling addiction at school, said:

“It is essential that people harmed by gambling are at the forefront of designing care and treatment for gambling disorder,” says “We know how few people access treatment, how few feel helped, and this design for a care and treatment pathway aims to redress this.”

​Gambling with Lives will focus mainly in preventing suicides among problem gamblers.

“Suicidal thoughts go hand in hand with gambling and speedy appropriate help is the first line of suicide prevention,” said Liz Ritchie. “This work is dedicated to all those who were not helped in time.”

Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, Founder and Director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London, added:

“I see the serious harms caused to people by gambling disorder every day at my clinic. An addiction to gambling can affect anyone and can pose a risk to life.  It is essential that evidence-based services are led by the NHS to ensure quality clinical standards.  I welcome this Gambling with Lives project and the work of people harmed by gambling in helping us to ensure that services are integrated with existing NHS pathways and really meet the needs of our population.”