BCT Clinical Director Neil Platt with team members James Callaway and Nicola Jaques presented at the Black Market Summit in Manchester, hosted by gambling harms education organisation Deal Me Out.
The BCT team joined a number of keynote speakers including voices of lived experience of gambling harms, policy makers, academics and professionals to openly discuss the challenges of Black Market gambling practices in the UK and the risks associated to public health. Topics and themes for the day included: how the regulated gambling industry in the UK ensure consumers stay within the regulated industry and looking at the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations and technology businesses in preventing Black Market usage.
The event at the Alan Hotel was well attended by an audience of experts from a range of stakeholders. The day was an opportunity for discussion to ensure prevention of illegal gambling is recognised and a part of research, education, treatment and policy in tackling gambling related harms.
The team at Beacon Counselling Trust have been upskilling their own learning in and around illegal markets and their growing exposure to our local populations and communities.
Having recognised the impacts on vulnerable groups and particularly young people, Clinical Director Neil Platt has been instrumental in expanding the organisation’s education programmes and developing treatment models to ensure prevention, support and treatment meet the needs of all individuals exposed to any level of gambling harm.
CEO of Deal Me out Jordan Lea said he was extremely thankful for the response and engagement to the summit. He said: “There are many challenges facing the UK market to reduce the impact of Black Market gambling, however the passion and knowledge from not just the panelists but from the audience was awe inspiring. I genuinely can’t thank everybody enough for supporting our Summit. The Summit certainly highlighted how complex the Black Market is, but also evidenced the appetite to work in collaboration to prevent it from the UK market.”
