NHS expands problem gambling support

The British National Health Service (NHS) has announced plans to expand services to support gambling addicts due to a surge in demand.

7 new clinics will be opened to supplement the existing 8 that have already been established.

Poised to provide cognitive behavioural therapy and support groups to an estimated 3,000 gambling addicts annually, these facilities hope to provide adequate provisions in response to the recent uptick in problem gambling.

Gambling addiction in the UK

Since 2021, the UK has seen an 80 per cent rise in individuals referred for gambling addiction, with the Gambling Commission estimating that there are 138, 000 high-risk gamblers across Great Britain.

Furthermore, an additional 1.3 million persons are also considered at moderate to low risk of gambling addiction.

Amanda Pritchard, the Chief Executive of the NHS, has highlighted the high accessibility of gambling activities through mobile devices accompanied by a consistent advertisement bombardment as the main contributors to this rapid increase.

Pritchard would continue to state that gambling “has the power to destroy people’s lives”.

The role of sports-betting

NHS Mental Health Director Claire Murdoch has echoed Pritchard’s sentiments claiming that the young are especially at risk from gambling promotions and inducements packaged with televised sport.

Steps have been taken within sport to curb this issue in particular. Instances such as English Premier League’s voluntary agreement to omit gambling sponsors from the coveted front-of-kit shirts are a most notable example.

However, the response from the regulatory and legislative bodies has been far less inspired.

Regulatory shortcomings

Since its publication, the much-anticipated gambling whitepaper has received heavy criticism for submitting a majority of its measures to consultation rather than requesting more invasive action to amend the current Gambling Act.

Key changes are not expected until the summer of 2024 at the earliest, leaving the root cause of this surge in gambling addiction unaffected.

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