GambleAware Continues Funding for Scottish Gambling Hub

The Scottish charity Fast Forward has been recommissioned by GambleAware to operate the Scottish Gambling Hub for three more years, until October 2024.

Fast Forward has been running the facility since it launched in 2018. They work with young people and the adults in their lives to raise awareness of problem gambling and ensure that there is staff at hand who are able to provide harm reduction advice and recognize those who need support.

So far, the institution has trained staff from more than 550 different organizations drawn from across Scotland, including schools, colleges, universities, youth work, and family services.

Now, with continued funding from GambleAware, the Hub will continue providing gambling education in Scotland. GambleAware has said that it will also be improving the program structure to ensure that partners, practitioners, and policymakers remain engaged.

The Hub will also seek to broaden its scope and work with the Scottish Gambling Education Network (SGEN). As part of this, they will be launching a new national conference in 2022.

Fast Forward has demonstrated its value as a key partner to prevent gambling harm among young people in Scotland. Given the success of the work already carried out, continuity is vital. The Scottish Education Hub has engaged with young people, parents, the community, and youth workers in an impactful and creative way to deliver unique projects over the years. We are delighted to support them further in their prevention and education work and look forward to publishing the independent evaluation of the project for their work in 2022.

Dr. Jane RigbyeGambleAware Prevention Director

Allie Cherry-Byrnes, the Fast Forward chief executive, said that the work of the Hub remains essential considering the normalization of gambling within the community, which has ramifications for all.

She added, “The renewed funding from GambleAware means that the Scottish Gambling Education Hub will continue to work with young people, parents, and educators to raise awareness of gambling harms and ensure support is accessible if they need it.”