European Gambling Harm Awareness Week 2026: Exploring New and Emerging Forms of Gambling
From 21-25 September 2026, the European Gambling Harm Prevention Network (EGHPN) will organize its fourth European Gambling Harm Awareness Week.
Since its launch, the Awareness Week has brought together researchers, prevention professionals, health experts, regulators, and civil society organizations from across Europe to highlight gambling-related harms and promote evidence-based approaches to prevention.
This year, we will focus on new and emerging forms of gambling, with particular attention to prediction markets and crypto gambling. These rapidly evolving products are transforming gambling environments and raising important questions about consumer protection, regulation, public health, and gambling harm prevention.
As part of the week, EGHPN will host an international webinar: New Ways to Bet: Understanding Prediction Markets and Crypto Gambling
23 September 2026
Speakers
Jussi Palomäki, Senior Researcher and Docent, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Gambling Harms Unit
Tom Bason, Assistant Professor (Research) in Sport Management, Coventry University
Anthony May, Dr, Senior Lecturer, Department of Criminology and Sociology, Birmingham City University
The webinar will explore how prediction markets and crypto gambling are reshaping betting opportunities, discuss emerging evidence on risks and harms, and consider implications for prevention, treatment, regulation, and research.
Participation is free for professionals working in gambling harm prevention, public health, treatment services, research, and policy.
👉 Register for the webinar:
Eventbrite registration page
Please Share Our Awareness Week Materials
To help raise awareness of gambling-related harms across Europe, we encourage all partners, member organizations, researchers, and professionals to share EGHPN's social media materials during the week.
The campaign images highlight key messages on prediction markets and crypto gambling and can be shared on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Bluesky, and other social media platforms.
Together, we can increase awareness of emerging gambling risks and strengthen the European conversation on gambling harm prevention.
#EGHAW2026 #GamblingHarmPrevention #PublicHealth #PredictionMarkets #CryptoGambling #EGHPN
Practical actions for NGOs to address gambling harms
Awareness & Education
• Organise Gambling Harm Awareness Weeks with themed days and events (locally and nationally).
• Develop and distribute educational materials: brochures, posters, videos, and age-appropriate programmes for schools and youth centres.
• Launch social media campaigns using infographics, videos, and lived experience stories.
• Integrate gambling harm education into school curricula and youth programmes.
• Build coalitions with other NGOs to strengthen advocacy efforts and share best practices.
Community Engagement
• Partner with healthcare providers, educators, law enforcement, and community leaders.
• Host public screenings, panel discussions, and forums featuring experts and lived experience voices.
• Facilitate peer support groups for affected individuals and families.
• Offer training for professionals to recognise and respond to gambling harm.
• Create multilingual resources to ensure accessibility for diverse communities.
Policy & Advocacy
• Advocate for policy reforms on gambling advertising, product design, and accessibility (local zoning laws and national legislation).
• Engage decision makers with evidence and personal stories to support regulation.
• Monitor and challenge industry influence in education and public discourse.
• Support research and data collection to inform policy and prevention strategies.
Support Services
• Provide low-threshold access to help via walk-in centres and helplines.
• Integrate gambling harm treatment into broader addiction and mental health services.
• Promote national resources like helplines and online support platforms.
• Ensure culturally appropriate services for marginalised and high-risk populations.