# Help-seeking for gambling problems during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the experiences of Norwegian help providers and their insights into gamblers

## TL;DR

This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic affected gambling behaviors and help-seeking in Norway, based on interviews with support providers.

## Contribution

The study provides new qualitative insights into how help providers perceived the pandemic's impact on gambling and support-seeking behaviors.

## Key findings

- Gamblers became more open and support-seeking during the pandemic.
- Help providers faced obstacles in offering support due to reluctance or barriers from gamblers.
- The pandemic created opportunities to address gambling issues amid financial hardship and reduced gambling access.

## Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant societal disruptions, including changes in gambling availability, gambling behaviours, and demand for support services. Although gambling support services play a crucial role in aiding individuals experiencing gambling-related harm, research regarding how help providers themselves perceived the pandemic’s impact on their work and callers is lacking.

This qualitative study investigated Norwegian help providers’ experiences of COVID-19 and how it affected gambling and gambling-related conversations. Semi-structured interviews with thirteen help providers were analysed using thematic analysis.

The analysis identified five main themes: 1) Gamblers became more open, chatty, and support-seeking, 2) help providers experienced obstacles in offering support, with gamblers being reluctant to and/or impeded from receiving help, 3) COVID-19 created an opportunity to address gambling-related issues, as many became more aware of problematic behaviours amid financial hardship and reduced access to gambling platforms, 4) gambling had a heightened appeal during COVID-19, including perceptions of greater gambling availability in addition to a desire to escape as a motive to gamble, and 5) COVID-19 had minimal impact on support conversations.

Despite appearing somewhat contradictory, the findings offer new insights into the multifaceted impact of COVID-19 on gambling and may inform future preventive and intervention efforts.