Study Finds Combined Gambling Support Works Best

People seeking help for gambling-related harm achieve stronger results when they combine emotional support with self-exclusion and blocking software, according to a new independent assessment of the TalkBanStop initiative.

The evaluation examined the partnership between GamCare, Gamban and Gamstop and found that individuals who used several forms of support together were more likely to reduce their gambling than those who relied on a single measure. Kantar conducted the research using a nationally representative survey of 1,200 adults, an online qualitative session involving 55 users of the model, a survey of nearly 1,800 Gamban users and operational monitoring data from across the partnership.

Combined Support Shows Stronger Results

Researchers concluded that the combined approach produced results that exceeded what each intervention could achieve independently. Blocking tools reduced access to gambling opportunities, including unregulated websites, while self-exclusion added further barriers. Emotional support helped users maintain progress through guidance and accountability.

Among participants who used more than one element of the model, 68% said the approach made it “much easier” to cut back on gambling. A further 54% strongly agreed that combining practical tools with human support changed their behaviour.

Keith Scott Whyte, founder and president of Safer Gambling Strategies, said: “Gambling addiction is a complex condition shaped by a unique combination of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. No single intervention will work for everyone.”

Users Enter Through Different Pathways

The study found that people began their recovery journeys at different stages. Many first contacted the National Gambling Helpline before using self-exclusion and blocking software. Younger participants more often started with technology-based protections and later sought emotional support.

Researchers noted that motivation to change can be fleeting. The model aims to convert that motivation into practical action quickly and then encourage users to adopt additional forms of support over time.

Victoria Corbishley, chief executive of GamCare, said: “This evaluation provides clear evidence that a layered approach to gambling harm, combining emotional support, blocking tools and formal self-exclusion, produces meaningfully stronger outcomes than any single intervention alone.”

Lessons Following TalkBanStop's Conclusion

The TalkBanStop partnership formally ended in March 2026 as gambling harm services moved to a statutory levy commissioning model.

Jack Symons, chief executive of Gamban, said: “This evaluation confirms what we saw throughout TalkBanStop: blocking software is even more powerful when it’s part of something bigger. Gamban restricts access at the moment it matters most, but it’s the layering of effective tools and support that helps people turn a positive decision to quit into lasting change.”

Whyte questioned the timing of the report, calling it “bitterly ironic that this highly positive evaluation is being released just as TalkBanStop has been shut down amid the major restructuring of gambling support services in the UK.”

He also added: “TalkBanStop demonstrated the potential of a “one-stop-shop” model, bringing together complementary interventions in a way that reduced barriers and increased engagement.”

Source:

"Layered approach to gambling support produces stronger outcomes, new evaluation finds", gamcare.org.uk, Jun 18, 2026