Published at 01:55 p.m., March 16, 2023.
Last update: March 16, 2023 at 08:00h.
The Gambling Related Suicide Research Program is a collaboration between Greo Evidence Insights and the UK Gambling Commission. The UK Gambling-Related Suicide Research Program is looking for funding requests to fund research programs that will better protect problem gamblers. (Image: Shutterstock)
“Specifically, research that will contribute to a better understanding of how individuals experience gambling-related suicidality,
” a Greo Evidence Insights release on the grant opportunities read.Greo officials say research that focuses on better detecting key patterns, as well as contributory and mitigating factors that are specific to gambling-related suicide or suicidal ideation, will be given priority consideration. Funding requests are also welcome from plans focused on learning what role gambling products, including advertising and marketing schemes, have on problem gambling.
The program also wishes to fund research that identifies warning signs and potential critical intervention points better.
Though Greo Evidence is based in Canada, the grant proposals should focus on gambling-related suicide research in the UK. Greo claims it has PS350,000 budgeted (US$423,800), for quantitative grants, and PS600,000.000 for qualitative research. The UKGC has supplied the funds through the commission’s National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms in Great Britain.
“Quantitative evidence suggests that suicidality is high among those who gamble at harmful levels. In clinical populations and in treatment services for problem gambling, between 22% and 81% of individuals have been found to have suicidal ideations, while between 7% and 30% of individuals have had suicide attempts,” concluded a 2022 review from Finland’s University of Helsinki.
Problem Gaming Crackdown
Facing heavy criticism for allowing betting shops to saturate high streets across the UK with slot-like, fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), the UK Parliament began cracking down on the controversial gaming terminals in 2018. The governing regulations of FOBTs were overhauled by national lawmakers. This led to the closing of hundreds of high-street betting shops. Following a two-year industrywide review, the UKGC launched the National Strategy to Reduce gambling Harms.
The national government plans to continue funding critical research such as the Gambling-Related Suicide Research Program.
The UKGC says gambling participation in the UK last year remained stable at 43%.
Players Hold Answers
Greo’s funding call notice says much can be learned about gambling and how it poses societal threats to players prone to addiction and irresponsible betting.
Though it is recognized that player data can be hard to access, independent research on industry player data has great potential to provide valuable insight into the association between gambling and suicide, self-harm, or suicidal ideation,” the Greo grant request explained.
To qualify for consideration of a Greo grant, the individual and/or organization must be a UK-based institution such as a university, a participating member of the National Health Services of England and Wales, or a not-for-profit research organization.
Research teams must not include individuals who have been employees in the legal gaming industry within the past five years or own a gaming investment valued at more than PS5,000.