The aim of this study was to explore secondary school teachers’ awareness of gambling-related risks in students with special educational needs (SEN), and whether teachers perceive these risks differently for students with SEN relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. The researchers interviewed 15 current teachers in mainstream secondary schools in the United Kingdom. Participants were between 23 and 57 years old, and their teaching experience ranged from 1 to 27 years.
Three main themes were identified: (1) understanding of gambling-related risks, (2) vulnerability of students with SEN, and (3) gambling as a secondary concern. Teachers recognized gambling as a risk for both TD students and those with SEN. But they perceived students with SEN as more vulnerable due to challenges related to impulse control, processing, and understanding consequences. At the same time, gambling was often seen as less serious than other risky behaviours like alcohol and drug use. Teachers identified limited gambling-specific training as a barrier to recognizing and responding to gambling-related risks among their students.
