A pile of playing cards on a green table

We're talking about gambling


Language guide

In partnership with colleagues across the North of England, we have created a gambling harms language guide.
The guide provides suggestions around language choice, and explains how stigmatising language can be avoided.

Download the Language Guide (PDF, 191mb),

View guide on Issuu (external website). 

Please check back occasionally for the most up-to-date version of the guide.

Our gambling harms newsletter

Our gambling harms newsletter is sent out every 4 to 6 weeks.

Sign up to the newsletter (external website).

View all previous issues of the GMCA gambling harms newsletter (external website).

Chapter One campaign

In June 2024 we launched the Chapter One campaign. Chapter One provides information, training and support for everyone affected by gambling, and is a partnership between Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the charity Gambling With Lives.

The Chapter One campaign across Greater Manchester directs residents to the help and support available for everyone affected by gambling via the Chapter One website.

You can view the campaign toolkit on GMCA's toolkits webpage, or email the team for more information at hello@chapter-one.org.  

Odds Are: They Win campaign

Odds Are: They Win is the campaign created by GMCA used across Greater Manchester to raise awareness of gambling harms. The campaign was launched in 2022 and continues to be rolled out to coincide with large betting events or to highlight particular gambling harms. If you'd like to find out more, email GMCA's gambling harms team at harm.reduction@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk.

Odds Are: They Win is an anti-gambling harms campaign, not an anti-gambling campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness of the harms linked to gambling. We want to highlight some of the tactics used by the gambling industry and to make people aware of the risks they face when they gamble.

In November 2022 we launched the Odds Are: They Win campaign ahead of the Men's Football World Cup. The campaign ran until February 2023 and achieved a lot. To find out more about the campaign results read the campaign summary report (PDF, 2.3mb).

If you would like to meet with the team to discuss this and receive the full report please email harm.reduction@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk.

Our aim was firstly to make people more aware of the risk they face when gambling.  

With Odds Are: They Win we are moving beyond the narrative of ‘responsible’ gambling and individual ownership, shifting the focus to the fact that whatever the gambling product, whoever the gambling operator and whichever way you look at it, the Odds Are: They Win.

We want to encourage people to share the campaign messages, reflect on them and have open conversations about their experiences of gambling.

Gambling harms are the harms a person can experience as a result of gambling. Harms are not just financial. It can impact your health and wellbeing and relationships with friends and family.  

The consequence of this for residents of Greater Manchester is that one in 15 people experience harms related to gambling. We are sure this number is an underestimate. Learn more about understanding gambling related harms.

We run a number of Odds Are: They Win bursts of advertising with social media toolkits available throughout the year.

If you would like to chat to us about the campaign, please email harm.reduction@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk.

Here are some examples of adverts you may have seen across Greater Manchester during the 2022 campaign.

Social Media

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