A recovering compulsive gambler has shared his battle to overcome the addiction.
Christopher Collins, a council recovery development worker, spoke up about being clean from compulsive gambling for six years.
Mr. Collins says he's proud of North Ayrshire Council for creating its own in-house guide to help staff manage the harms caused by gambling and signing up for the Harmful Gambling Workplace Charter.
He explained: “I started to take on a lot of debts. I started pawning stuff and selling my possessions. I was a vinyl collector at the time and sold my records.
“I stopped eating, lost weight, and wasn’t looking after myself. I must have had 40 or 50 different accounts for gambling, and spent absolute thousands. I got a benefits backdate of a few thousand pounds – and that was gone within hours.
“It is one day at a time for me, absolutely no gambling. I can’t even do a tombola or a raffle. But I like myself now, and when I was gambling I didn’t.
“I am really proud of this council for being the first in Ayrshire to provide this type of support and guidance through the HR Guide and the charter because, in my opinion, there is a crisis out there.”
Louise McDaid, UNISON branch secretary for North Ayrshire, has experience supporting a loved one through gambling addiction.
She said the person started gambling around the age of 11 or 12, starting off on fruit machines before moving on to horses and greyhounds, and over the years lost between £80,000 and £100,000.
She said: “The key thing to note is that gambling cuts across class.
"I have met people from all walks of life and professions, and the damage caused by gambling has been terrible.
“There are 400 suicides per year linked to gambling in England and Wales. We don’t know the figures for Scotland because we don’t record them. We don’t ask the question.
“We lost a young man to suicide through gambling, a number of years ago, at the council. We need to have conversations – don’t ignore it and the most important thing about the council’s new HR guide and the Charter is that it allows you to talk.”
Problematic gambling can cause debt; absence from work; mental and physical health issues; deterioration of relationships and suicidal thoughts.
But the council offers support to their employees via their 'wellbeing warriors', guidance from the team at Money Matters, and a direct line to trade union representatives for members.
Councillor Christina Larsen, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement, added: “I am pleased the council has signed up to the Charter because it will help employees get the suitable support they need.
“The impact of problem gambling has an effect on people’s personal lives and their work lives, and we want staff to know there is help available.
“Managers working within council services can also get guidance on how to support staff who disclose that they have an issue. And the aim is to help people at an early stage.”
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