Gambling at work: new NASC guidance on a risk that is easy to miss
NASC has published a new information bulletin on the safety, health and wellbeing risks of gambling in the workplace, available to members on the NASC website.
Harmful gambling has been recognised as a health and wellbeing issue for some time but prevention has tended to focus on individual responsibility. That is now changing. Once considered the “hidden addiction”, gambling is now recognised as a major public health issue, which means the wider harms are being considered, from the impact on affected others through to wider social and economic harms. Workplaces have a crucial role to play.
Why this matters in scaffolding
Gambling harms do not discriminate, but some groups are at greater risk, and the bulletin is direct about the overlap with our industry. Those at higher risk include younger men, potentially working away from home, in dangerous or high risk roles. There is often a culture of watching sports, including peer pressure to engage in gambling and other risk taking, driven by factors such as wanting to be part of the group, or boredom.
One in four people have gambled at work in the last four weeks, according to the UK Gambling Commission. It is highly likely that includes someone in your workplace.
The reach goes further than the individual. For every one person experiencing gambling harms, an estimated six to ten other people are affected.
What it looks like on site
People experiencing gambling harms can be tired, stressed, distracted, lacking in concentration, and experiencing mood swings.
All of those present potential safety risks, including to the general public, if they result in faulty scaffolding erection, unsafe working or dropped material. Increased absenteeism puts pressure on the rest of the team, while presenteeism affects performance and productivity. Incidents of theft and fraud at work as a result of gambling are also on the rise, carrying financial and reputational risk.
At the most serious end, Public Health England estimated in 2021 that there are 400 gambling-related suicides each year in England alone, and research indicates that people experiencing gambling harms are 15 times more likely to die by suicide.
What employers can do
The bulletin sets out practical control measures.
Put a gambling policy in place, in line with ISO 45003, that acknowledges gambling harms as a public health issue and a diagnosed addiction in the DSM-5. This helps remove the stigma and the fear of professional repercussions that commonly stop people disclosing.
Include questions on gambling in risk assessment tools, particularly where employees work remotely or have access to devices they could gamble on.
Consider blocking software on work devices. BetBlocker and GamBan are the leading options available in the UK.
Cascade gambling harms awareness training through the organisation, with more comprehensive training for senior leadership and brief awareness raising for people on the ground.
Distribute a gambling toolkit to help line managers and wellbeing leads start and navigate these conversations, including a mini-screening tool, with signposting to support services readily available.
Responsibility sits at every level. Senior management and HR are placed to influence policy development, and line managers are ideally placed to spot the signs within their teams.
Getting the guidance
Safety, health and wellbeing risks of gambling in the workplace (NASC/2026/006) is available to members on the NASC website. It sits alongside SG7 Risk Assessments and Method Statements and SG38 Guidance on mental health wellbeing.
NASC would like to thank Betknowmore UK for their assistance in producing this bulletin.
If you or someone you work with is affected by gambling, the National Gambling Helpline is available through GamCare at gamcare.org.uk.
