The UK’s gambling harm reduction sector is facing significant upheaval following newly published guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Among others, the guidelines recommend that gambling treatment and support services must be commissioned and provided without any industry influence, creating a stark division within the sector.
Experts who spoke to NEXT.io say this shift has fractured previously collaborative relationships, as organisations now struggle to maintain partnerships due to fears of perceived conflicts of interest.
[On Tuesday], the NICE issued its first ever clinical guidance on gambling-related harms. The new recommendations state that GPs should ask patients about their gambling habits when discussing smoking and alcohol consumption.
