New funding for gambling harm programme built on lived experience and evidence
An ongoing project to develop an innovative educational programme that challenges the gambling industry's "gamble responsibly" messaging has been awarded new funding to support its next phase of development and evaluation.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will support a partnership between London South Bank University (LSBU) and charity Gambling with Lives, now in its sixth year.
The award will help further develop Chapter One, the charity's prevention programme, which delivers independent, evidence-based education and training on gambling harm to young people and professionals across the UK.
It forms part of the Gambling Harms Research and Innovation Partnership programme, a UK government-backed initiative that supports a network of partnerships across the UK developing independent, evidence-based responses to gambling harm.
James Grimes, Director of Chapter One, who has lived experience of gambling harm following a 12-year addiction, said the funding would help address a gap left by industry-led messaging: "For too long, the information and education that the public has received has focused on telling people to “gamble responsibly” while saying very little about how products, marketing and environments are designed to keep people gambling. That's the conversation we need to change.
“At Chapter One, we believe young people deserve honest, independent education that explains how harm happens and why. By telling the truth about modern gambling, we can help people make sense of their own experiences without shame or blame."
Chapter One works with local government public health teams across the UK, including through its "If Only I Knew" initiative. Its work across Greater Manchester drew praise from Mayor Andy Burnham, now Prime Minister.
LSBU’s Dr Thomas Mills, who co-leads the partnership with James Grimes, said: "Public health has rightly criticised industry-led approaches for many years, but criticism alone will only take us so far. Young people and parents recognise gambling harm as a major issue of public concern and they want independent education. If we do not develop alternatives that are rooted in public health principles, industry-led approaches will continue to dominate by default."
Independent evaluation shaping a national approach
LSBU's qualitative evaluation has found that young adults respond positively to Chapter One's public health-led educational programme, engaging with it as consumers, carers and citizens depending on their own values, experiences and priorities.
This evaluation builds on a track record of independent work carried out through PHIRST South Bank, LSBU’s dedicated research centre for evaluating public health initiatives.
In 2023, PHIRST South Bank evaluated Greater Manchester Combined Authority's regional gambling harms reduction strategy, identifying promising alternatives to conventional messaging. That evaluation directly informed a 10-point plan for gambling harm prevention, launched by Dr Mills and Chapter One at Parliament in 2025, which set out recommendations including calls for every young person to be educated about the causes of gambling harm.
The UKRI funding will enable further development of the Chapter One education programme through co-design with young people and its robust evaluation. Insights will in turn shape how the programme is designed and delivered nationally.
Professor Susie Sykes, Director of PHIRST South Bank, said: "Over the past five years, Chapter One has grown from strength to strength. Their commitment to evidence-based practices has been unusually strong. We have delivered public health training modules to Chapter One staff and James Grimes serves on our Senior Advisory Panel, helping to strengthen lived experience involvement and our preventative work more generally. It’s been two-way learning, and this funding places the collaboration on stronger and more sustainable footing."