The Power of Lived Experience
At the heart of this initiative lies a fundamental principle: people with lived experience of gambling harms must be at the center of research that affects their lives. The APPIE network has already grown to approximately 37 dedicated members who are ready to use their experiences to advance gambling research and inform policy development.
Current Network Size
37 active members with lived experience ready to contribute their insights and expertise
Growth Target
Expanding to 50 members to ensure diverse perspectives and sustained engagement
Engagement Approach
Flexible, non-pressured involvement based on individual interests and comfort levels
Our approach recognizes that involvement can take many forms. Members can discuss project ideas, develop research plans, share knowledge of other initiatives, and provide feedback to researchers on better communication practices. This flexibility ensures that everyone can contribute in ways that feel meaningful and comfortable to them.
Building an Inclusive Network Structure
Our Vision for Collaboration
Working in close partnership with the APPIE network, we're creating a robust infrastructure to support meaningful lived experience involvement. This includes establishing a dedicated Research Assistant position focused exclusively on gambling research, operating part-time to coordinate engagement activities.
We're also exploring the creation of a complementary group of individuals who gamble without identifying as having a problem. This broader perspective will help us understand the full spectrum of gambling behaviors and identify protective factors that prevent gambling from becoming harmful.
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Dedicated Support
Part-time Research Assistant exclusively for gambling research coordination
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Network Expansion
Actively recruiting additional members with diverse gambling harm experiences
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Comparative Insights
Exploring separate group for non-problem gamblers to understand protective factors
Listening to What Matters: Member Feedback
The meeting provided invaluable feedback from members DK, AG, and JP, who praised the APPIE network's non-pressured approach that allows people to engage based on their specific interests and comfort levels. Their insights revealed critical considerations for making the network more effective and inclusive.
Specific Interest Tracking
AG emphasized the importance of recording members' particular gambling interests (such as sports betting versus gaming) in a database. This would enable truly relevant matching between research projects and member expertise, ensuring that people contribute to areas directly connected to their lived experience.
Flexible Engagement Options
Recognizing that not everyone is comfortable in group settings, AG highlighted the need for one-to-one opportunities. Many individuals prefer more private conversations when discussing their lived experiences, and offering both group and individual options ensures everyone can participate meaningfully.
Diverse Representation
Members stressed the critical importance of including voices from young people, women, individuals from various backgrounds, and those living with physical disabilities or mental health conditions. JP noted that people who feel isolated at home may be particularly vulnerable to online gambling.
Action Point: The APPIE team is expanding the sign-up process to capture more specific interests and communication preferences. Existing members will also be contacted to update their profiles, ensuring we can match people with research opportunities that genuinely resonate with their experiences.
Critical Research Priorities: Technology and Advertising
The Digital Gambling Landscape
Members identified the invasive nature of gambling advertising as a top research priority. Paul and Mel described it as a "wild west" with inadequate regulation, where gambling adverts saturate television, mobile devices, and social media platforms. This constant exposure normalizes gambling and makes it nearly impossible for vulnerable individuals to avoid triggers.
Mel highlighted the particularly deceptive nature of false advertising, where promises of "free" coins or tokens rarely deliver as advertised. These misleading tactics prey on vulnerable individuals and create false expectations that can fuel continued gambling.
Social Media Influence
JP emphasized researching how social influencers affect gambling uptake and maintenance, noting people in active treatment watching these videos
Targeted Marketing
AG questioned how the industry targets non-problem gamblers differently, including email frequency and advertising intensity
Gaming Convergence
Research needed on loot boxes, cryptocurrency gambling, and platforms like Roblox that blur lines between gaming and gambling
Understanding Vulnerable Populations
Who Is Most at Risk?
The discussion revealed critical gaps in our understanding of how gambling harms affect different communities. DK noted an alarming trend: younger people increasingly seeking support for gaming and online gambling addictions. Modern technology enables people to lose thousands of dollars in minutes, a stark contrast to traditional gambling that required physical presence.
Youth and Technology
Young people facing unprecedented gambling accessibility through smartphones and gaming platforms. Video game loot boxes employ gambling industry tactics, potentially instilling problematic mental patterns in children. Legal discrepancies between gambling sites and gaming sites create confusion and loopholes.
Marginalized Communities
AG highlighted the need for research into marginalized communities. For example, many Asian clients use online platforms to avoid being seen in physical bookmakers or arcades due to cultural stigma. Different communities experience unique barriers and vulnerabilities that require tailored research approaches.
Neurodiversity Links
Recent research suggests connections between ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergent conditions with addiction vulnerability, including gambling specifically. Understanding these links could inform better prevention and treatment strategies for neurodivergent individuals.
Intergenerational Impact
Children of people who gamble are significantly affected, with questions about how many go on to gamble themselves. DK identified this as rooted in generational trauma rather than mere habit, suggesting deeper psychological mechanisms at play that require research attention.
Gender, Violence, and Treatment Gaps
The Gendered Nature of Gambling Harms
DK and JP emphasized that women experience gambling differently from men, with distinct perspectives on gambling harms, methods of engagement, and social stigmas. JP noted that many women play 24-hour online slots accessible before and after work, while Mel highlighted that women often engage in bingo without recognizing it as gambling.
JP also pointed out treatment inequalities, such as women receiving shorter courses at Gordon Moody compared to men, which can be particularly difficult for those who cannot easily leave their families. These gender-specific barriers require dedicated research attention.
Domestic Violence Links
AG emphasized researching connections between gambling and domestic violence, including how gambling-related stress and financial issues contribute to abuse
Criminal Connections
Links between gambling and criminality including fraud and drug dealing require systematic investigation
Treatment Effectiveness
All members called for research on treatment effectiveness beyond traditional CBT, including diverse and accessible options
Sustainable Recovery
Long-term recovery drivers need study—what makes recovery sustainable after 10-15 years?
Trauma-Informed Approach: DK and Mel agreed that trauma—especially generational trauma—plays a crucial role across addictions. Understanding gambling as a trauma response rather than purely habitual behavior could transform treatment approaches and prevention strategies.
Defining Success: A Vision for the Future
When asked what success looks like, members offered a compelling vision grounded in practical improvements to people's lives. Their responses reveal both the current gaps in gambling harm research and the transformative potential of this new research center.
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Establish Baseline Understanding
DK emphasized we must first understand where we are now. There's insufficient information about how to reduce problem gambling numbers or prevent its development. We need comprehensive data on how many people are affected, who they are, and where they're located.
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Expand Treatment Options
JP highlighted the urgent need for diverse treatment approaches beyond CBT. Success means creating options that work for a wide range of people with different needs, backgrounds, and circumstances.
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Increase Awareness and Reduce Stigma
For AG, success means normalizing conversations about gambling harms. In Cornwall, not knowing where to turn for help exemplified the access barriers we must remove. Effective treatment should be easy to find and free from shame.
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Create Lasting Change
Ultimately, success means fewer people developing gambling problems, better support for those affected, and policies informed by robust evidence and lived experience rather than industry influence.
"Success is normalizing talking about gambling harms and removing barriers to effective treatment. People shouldn't have to struggle to find help or feel ashamed to ask for it."— AG, APPIE Network Member
Next Steps: Turning Vision into Action
Moving Forward Together
This meeting represents just the beginning of an exciting journey. The insights, priorities, and commitments shared will directly shape the funding application for the new gambling research center and inform how the APPIE network evolves to better serve its members.
Ongoing Engagement
Members are welcome to reach out to Gerda and the Glasgow team with additional comments, ideas, or suggestions. Every voice continues to matter beyond this meeting.
Recognition and Gratitude
The Glasgow team will facilitate vouchers for meeting participants as appreciation for their valuable time and contributions. Abigail will coordinate contact details to ensure everyone receives this acknowledgment.
Transparent Communication
The Glasgow team commits to updating the group on how today's suggestions have been incorporated into the center funding application, ensuring members see the direct impact of their contributions.
Network Evolution
The APPIE team will consider how the network might evolve to ensure people with lived experience of gambling engage in topics aligned with their specific interests, making involvement more meaningful and effective.
This is more than a research project—it's a movement to center lived experience in gambling harm research and policy. By bringing together the expertise of researchers with the invaluable insights of those directly affected by gambling, we're creating something unprecedented: research that truly serves the people it's meant to help. The next five years promise to transform how we understand, prevent, and address gambling harms across the UK and beyond.