This report was prepared on behalf of Gaimcontrol Ltd, to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of Toivo, a mobile app designed to help people experiencing gambling harms and facing gambling-related debts. The aim of the pilot program was to help people to reduce gambling and improve their financial situation, to qualify for debt-consolidation loans.
A total of 8 participants living in Finland took part in the pilot program. All participants had applied for a debt-consolidation loan with Takuusäätiö, a Finnish not-for-profit financial institution. The pilot program took place over 12 weeks, and participants were asked to abstain from gambling and interact with the app a minimum of 3 times per week. A survey was completed toward the end of the study.
Six of the eight participants actively engaged with the app during the study. Using the app was associated with reductions in gambling and gambling urges, improvements in well-being, and greater confidence in dealing with finances. The researchers made several recommendations to improve the program and its future assessments.
