There are increasing calls to adopt a public health approach to gambling, which emphasizes upstream approaches to preventing and addressing all levels of harms at the population level. The Safer Gambling Movement describes Addiction Recovery Agency (Ara) and Beacon Counseling Trust (BCT)'s leadership in developing a suite of innovative programs to build momentum for a national public health approach to gambling harms in Great Britain by first building this capacity in England and Wales.
The movement works to prevent gambling harm in three ways:
- Primary prevention: preventing at-risk behaviour
- Secondary prevention: reducing the harms for those who are at-risk
- Tertiary prevention: offering treatment to reduce gambling harms
The goal of this project is to reduce harms from gambling and improve population health in Great Britain. This theory of change visual and narrative considers the inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes necessary to achieve these goals. This theory of change can be used by organisations, groups, and individuals in any sectors impacted by gambling related harms in England and Wales.