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AFINet Webinar – January 2026

Title: How does involvement in campaigning impact close relatives bereaved by gambling-related suicide?

Date: Wednesday 14th January 2026: 14.00 UK; 09.00 Eastern USA/Canada; 15.00 Western Europe; 16.00 Finland; 19.30 India
Other times: www.worldtimebuddy.com

Title: How does involvement in campaigning, impact close relatives bereaved by gambling-related suicide?

Presenters:

  • Eugene Farrar, York St John University, School of Education, Language and Psychology, York, UK

  • Gary Shepherd, York St John University, School of Education, Language and Psychology, York, UK

Chair: Ed Sipler, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland, UK

Description: Recent survey results from the UK Gambling Commission (October 2025), indicate that 48% of adults in the UK participated in some form of gambling over the previous 12 months. Based on current population estimates, this equates to approximately 26.6 million adults. Of these, around 1.83 million people sought help for their own gambling. A further 1.83 million adults sought help due to the gambling behaviours of someone close to them. This suggests a likely increase in gambling-related harm, not just for individuals who gamble, but for families, communities, and society at large.

Among the most devastating outcomes is bereavement through gambling-related suicide, a deeply traumatic and often overlooked consequence. In response, the UK has seen a rise in both individual and collective activism, seeking stronger regulation of the gambling industry. Campaigners are increasingly critical of what they view as light-touch regulation, and profit-first industry practices that compromise player safety and public health. Our

journal article, “How does involvement in campaigning impact close relatives bereaved by gambling-related suicide?”, explores these issues through in-depth semi-structured interviews. We examine both the positive and negative effects of activism on those who have lost loved ones — considering how campaigning may serve as a form of postvention, while also acknowledging the emotional toll it can take.

This webinar aims to share the lived experiences of individuals at the forefront of this advocacy work, and to facilitate mutual discussion around key emerging themes. It offers a space for reflection, knowledge exchange, and the potential co-development of new directions in research, support, and policy reform.

To register (mandatory): Please use the following link which will be available after the end of the previous Webinar:
👉 https://webropol.com/s/afinetwebinar

Upon registration you will receive the Zoom/Teams link to participate in the Webinar.

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