Gambling

Our vision is for Greater Manchester to be a place where no-one experiences gambling related harms

In Greater Manchester we are thinking differently about gambling by working to prevent and reduce the negative impacts of gambling on individuals, families and communities. 

Gambling can serious impact people who are harmed by it, including mental health, finances, and relationships. One in 15 Greater Manchester residents are experiencing gambling harm.

Gambling includes activities such as: betting on sports, online bingo and slots, casino games, and buying scratchcards. This may be online, in licensed premises, or between friends. Some elements of gaming (including for under 18s) have similarities to gambling, such as buying loot boxes or trading skins.

We are bringing together partners from across the 10 localities in Greater Manchester as part of our innovative public service reform and population health agenda to prevent and reduce gambling related harms in our communities.

“Gambling took so much more from me than money. It took my happiness, my motivation, my self-worth, my decency, my self-respect and it took my freedom.”

Our action plan:

  

To learn more about our plans to address gambling harms in Greater Manchester, view the full action plan for 2023-2026 (PDF, 1.6MB).

Our work:

In 2020 and 2023 the Greater Manchester Combined Authority received funding from a regulatory settlement allocated by the Gambling Commission to develop and deliver the first ever city-region approach to gambling harms in the country. Information about regulatory settlements can be found on the Gambling Commission's website.