A study looking at growing public health concern around male gamblers has been awarded £629,765 by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The Football Fans and Betting (FFAB) project, which started in January 2020, is led by Prof Gerda Reith from University of Glasgow, with HEHTA's Manuela Deidda leading the health economics analysis.

FFAB is a feasibility study and randomised pilot trial of a group-based intervention to reduce gambling involvement among male football fans. Gambling strongly impacts on individuals’ quality of life, representing a substantial economic burden to the NHS and to society.
Working with experts from gambling treatment and prevention, the FFAB programme will use the social context of the football club to introduce a 'toolkit' of behaviour change skills to men in a supportive group setting, with the aim of reducing sports bettors' gambling involvement and to improve their wellbeing. This study is a first attempt to assess the feasibility of conducting an evaluation and economic evaluation of an intervention directed towards reducing gambling behaviour.

The project will run until December 2021.

First published: 27 February 2020

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