Games, Gambling and Generation Z: Disruptive approaches to awareness of gambling harms - A practical guide to implementation

Gbolagun-Suwa, Vashti; Marshall, Anne-Marie; Merlusca, Simona; Poliah, Keren; Stein, Andrea; Sykes, Lucie; Whitnall, Davina; Yaw Obeng, John

Abstract

Game On was a project that aimed to increase awareness and evaluate the impacts of gambling for communities in Salford, specifically for 16-21-year-olds who are identified as being at risk. The normalisation of gambling is leading to an increasing frequency of young people gambling weekly, particularly among young men. The rationale for targeting this age range is associated with the vulnerability of young people to mismanage their first independent income/grant/loan, an area of rising concern.
This project used research-based interventions to disrupt the normalisation of gambling for young people, and this culminated in an event in July 2022 to test our learning and interventions with young people.
We recognise that the gambling industry has resources and access to commission a significant range of multidisciplinary methodologies to make their products attractive to individuals .As such, we have built a group of researchers from diverse backgrounds to research, understand and analyse gambling harms and anti-gambling resources available to our young people. These researchers use interdisciplinary methods to carry out research with the aim to have a clear understanding of the gambling harms in Greater Manchester. Many of the methodologies used in this research have foundations in academic research, so this is why we have worked with the University of Salford to utilise these multidisciplinary approaches to create disruptive tools and approaches to challenge the gambling industry’s narratives and counter normalisation of gambling. This is especially needed as Salford experiences extreme levels of deprivation, which has been compounded by COVID-19 and the impact of the cost of living crisis.

Citation

Gbolagun-Suwa, V., Marshall, A., Merlusca, S., Poliah, K., Stein, A., Sykes, L., …Yaw Obeng, J. (2023). Games, Gambling and Generation Z: Disruptive approaches to awareness of gambling harms - A practical guide to implementation. University of Salford

• Report Type: Project Report
• Online Publication Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 29, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 18, 2023
• Pages: 150
• ISBN: 9781912337880