Millions in Britain still at risk from gambling

Gambling harms remain high despite Government commitments, with an estimated 1.3 million British adults identified as problem gamblers last year, according to new data.

The annual survey on gambling, published by the Gambling Commission, has shown little change in the past couple of years, with almost half of Brits admitting to having gambled in the past month.

Under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Labour made a manifesto pledge to reform gambling legislation, and announced significantly higher levies for online betting companies last November — expected to raise £1 billion a year.

Severe consequences

The new data revealed that around one in six gamblers experienced some adverse consequences from their gambling – aside from losing money – but that problems escalate dramatically for the 1 in 37 who scored higher on the Problem Gambling Severity Index.

Among all gamblers, six per cent said they lied to their family about their gambling, but this rose to 80 per cent among problem gamblers.

Similarly, while 1 in 22 gamblers said they reduced spending on everyday items as a result of their gambling, the figure was almost four in five among problem gamblers, and seven in ten said they had used their savings or borrowed money to fund their betting.

And 63 per cent of problem gamblers admitted they had missed work due to gambling.

Key findings

The most common “severe consequence” from gambling was “experiencing a relationship breakdown” due to the habit.

Ten per cent of men who had gambled in the last twelve months reported thinking about or attempting suicide, where it was at least in part related to their gambling.

The research also showed a clear class divide, with the most deprived 20 per cent in England almost four times as likely to be severe problem gamblers as the wealthiest 20 per cent.

Affected others

It is not only those who gamble who are impacted by problem gambling, with 1 in 20 surveyed stating that they had experienced more than one severe consequence as a result of someone else’s gambling.

This was most stark among 18 to 34-year-olds, with 3.6 per cent saying they had experienced violence or abuse, 4.6 per cent saying they had experienced relationship breakdown, and 2.4 per cent committing a crime to fund someone else’s gambling or to pay off their gambling debts.

And among all ‘affected others’, eleven per cent said they had experienced health problems as a result of a friend, colleague, or loved one’s gambling.

Urgent change

Tim Miller, Executive Director for Research and Policy at the Gambling Commission, explained that the survey “informs policy, regulation and wider public discussion” on gambling.

Angus Saul, Head of Communications at The Christian Institute, said: “Urgent change is needed. While the Government has made some progress in the last two years, further reform must be expedited.

“Betting companies continue to bombard people with adverts and they rake in the vast majority of their profits from just five per cent of their customer base. The people being targeted most aggressively are the ones who can least afford it. Gambling hurts not just individuals, but society as a whole.

“It is clear from the industry’s increased profits and the continued harm being experienced by millions, that current measures are not working. The Government must stop prioritising the growth of the industry at the expense of the public.

“Gambling is wrong, and the disastrous consequences that flow from it attest to that. The more we can do to limit its pervasiveness, the more society will flourish.”

Gambling risks

Recently, a coroner criticised bookmaker William Hill for its ‘lack of intervention’ in the lead up to 40-year-old Gareth Evans’ suicide.

During a three-week period in 2020, Evans lost around £18,000 to the operator through his online account. After a call from the firm, he closed his account and subsequently self-excluded from online gambling via GAMSTOP.

Shortly before his suicide in 2021, he reportedly visited a William Hill betting shop several times a day, spending hundreds of pounds on its sports betting terminals. In a note left for his family, he indicated that he had taken his own life due to gambling.

Charles Ritchie, Chair of Gambling with Lives — a charity which has been supporting Gareth’s family — said that Gareth’s death “underlines the urgent need for stronger protections and a modern gambling law that reflects the risks posed by today’s gambling products and industry practices”.