In 2021, Gordon Moody – the charity organisation that supports gambling addicts in the UK – celebrated 50 years of providing professional help to the ones facing the worst consequences of their problem gambling behaviour. As a result, this year the organisation has expanded its centres across the country in order to include what Matthew Hickey, its chief executive officer, believes to be the only gambling treatment facility that specifically targets female gambling addicts in the UK, and possibly the world.
That move, plus the establishment of a new problem gambling centre in Manchester, has come at a crucial time for the charity, which started operation as a hostel for male problem gamblers who had nowhere to go. Later, the organisation’s work expanded, with a sharp increase in applications for Gordon Moody’s treatment registered.
As revealed by Mr Hickey, the gambling operators’ messaging regarding safer gambling has marked an improvement over the last two years. It points to the impact of the engagement of the gambling industry during the Covid-19 lockdown. According to him, that had a significant impact on the number of people who shared they had been experiencing problem gambling and gambling-related harm. Mr Hickey also noted that safer gambling should be made an integral part of the core messaging of the local gambling sector all the time, not during special campaigns only.
Problem Gambling Charity Wants to Become Data-Driven to Help More People
Gordon Moody’s relationship with the local gambling industry was described by the charity’s boss as a strong and positive one. He shared that, in his opinion, working closely with the sector would help the organisation treat people better. Mr Hickey said that it would be great if the charity and the gambling operators are able to share profiling data and work in collaboration with the safer gambling teams.
Mr Hickey joined Gordon Moody only several weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020, after spending over 20 years in various roles across a wide number of areas, including mental health, drugs and alcohol, vocational skills, cancer treatment, children’s literacy, education, etc. He helped the charity organisation grow its influence after his predecessor in the CEO role had done a lot of work to prepare the organisation for its next chapter.
As mentioned above, the charity’s boss is willing to see Gordon Moody become a data-driven organisation with better marketing that would make more people use its services. According to Mr Hickey, about 70% of the people who address Gordon Moody for residential treatment had tried to take their own lives but the intervention of the charity workers with those people helped save their lives.
As mentioned above, Gordon Moody opened a residential treatment centre targetting female gamblers earlier in 2022. Also, a new service in Manchester started operation, in order to add to the charity organisation’s capacity in Beckenham in south London and Dudley in the West Midlands.
- Author
Daniel Williams
