Charity organization GamCare announced a new short movie that seeks to reduce gambling harm amid the growing popularity of sports betting. The short movie features the famous English soccer star Paul Merson, Liverpool defender, Gilly Flaherty, as well as Ellis Platten, the famous YouTube star.
The movie starts with the trio discussing their pre-match rituals. While Merson, Flaherty and Platten have different rituals, they all admit to having experience with gambling as well. With the new movie, the trio seeks to raise awareness of free tools and support that is available via TalkBanStop, an initiative by GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP.
While some people enjoy gambling responsibly, others have felt the devastating impact of gambling harm. This is one of the reasons why the trio promotes TalkBanStop. People struggling with gambling can use TalkBanStop to help them enjoy sports without gambling.
According to GamCare, TalkBanStop leverages support and practical tools. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to help people stop gambling and successfully recover from the impact of gambling harm. TalkBanStop fuses three different segments that include support provided by trained advisers with GamCare, access for free to Gamban’s blocking software, as well as registering with GAMSTOP, the free self-exclusion scheme.
Enjoying Sports without Gambling
Anna Hemmings, GamCare’s CEO, explained that amid major sports tournaments many people may face challenges when it comes to gambling. She added that the increase in advertising further boosts the temptation for gambling in some people which takes away the joy of sports.
“We want anyone struggling with gambling to know that, through TalkBanStop, people have the perfect pre-match ritual to help remove the temptation.“
Anna Hemmings, CEO at GamCare
Hemmings urged people struggling with gambling to contact TalkBanStop to receive the support they need. Last but not least, she pointed out that there’s also support available via the National Gambling Helpline.
“It was great being part of the film to help raise awareness of the tools and support people can get through the TalkBanStop partnership.“
Paul Merson
Merson said that participating in the film to help raise awareness and reduce gambling harm was exciting. He revealed that previously, placing sports bets was different as the bettor would need to visit a retail bookmaker. However, Merson said that now, the temptation is bigger than ever, considering that sportsbooks are at a hand’s reach via smartphones. Finally, the soccer star said: “By speaking to an advisor on GamCare’s Helpline, getting a free Gamban license and signing up for GAMSTOP, people can put the barriers in place to ensure gambling doesn’t get in the way of the games ahead.”