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Lookup NU author(s): Andrew RichardsonORCiD, Dr Katie ThomsonORCiD, Liam SpencerORCiD, Professor Eileen KanerORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
There is evidence indicating instances of gambling-related harms among people accessing substance misuse services. What is unknown are the challenges presented to these professionals when identifying and addressing these hidden harms. The aim of this research is to investigate the barriers and facilitators for drug and alcohol workers in addressing gambling harms within substance misuse settings. Thirty-four semi-structured, online interviews were conducted. Participants were recruited across the North East of England and included staff from specialist charity services, local authorities and primary care treatment services. Thematic analysis of transcripts identified five themes, which were inter-connected and reinforced the practitioners’ difficulties in identifying the hidden harm of gambling. The five themes comprised of no training or awareness on gambling, stigma as a barrier within their services, gambling not being prioritized by management, drug and alcohol services not being commissioned to treat gambling harms, and the perception that not asking the question helps no one. Although conducted in the North East of England, the findings highlight broader systemic challenges for substance misuse services in identifying and responding to gambling-related harms. We concluded that client welfare could be improved through preventative approaches, including signposting or referral routes to a gambling-specific treatment services.
Author(s): Richardson A, Thomson KH, Smith G, Sheridan L, Beadle A, Spencer L, Kaner E
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Gambling Studies
Year: 2026
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 02/07/2026
Acceptance date: 14/06/2026
Date deposited: 02/07/2026
ISSN (print): 1445-9795
ISSN (electronic): 1479-4276
Publisher: Routledge
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2026.2696244
DOI: 10.1080/14459795.2026.2696244
Data Access Statement: The datasets generated and transcripts analyzed are not publicly available as they would reveal the identities of the participants in the study. Only the anonymized quotes were agreed to be shared publicly. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2026.2696244
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