Research was conducted through consultations with relevant stakeholders, people with personal experience, and other health professionals within the gambling industry.
Recommendations include:
- Developing a dedicated suicide prevention policy to safeguard customers and staff
- Providing advice on using harm prevention to aid marketing communications
- Offering guidance on interpreting data to help prevent suicide
- Providing tips on communicating sensitively with customers in need
The head of policy at Samaritans, Mubeen Bhutta, stated: “Suicide is preventable, and we recognize the need for different industries to address specific challenges in order to implement effective suicide prevention practices. Considering the clear association between gambling and suicide, it is vital that the necessary changes are made in the gambling environment to prevent such incidents. We are proud to publish these industry guidelines and encourage all gambling businesses to actively engage with them, aiming to do more in the prevention of gambling-related suicide.”