Young ‘risking addiction’ in smartphone betting boom
Half of online gamblers use mobile
ALMOST half of online gamblers regularly bet using their smartphone – double the number four years ago, a study has revealed.
And the boom in mobile gambling has helped bookmakers gain an extra 1.6million customers aged under 35, the survey of 4,000 people suggested.
The proportion of online players using mobile phones – 44 per cent – is twice as many as four years ago, and younger customers are most likely to use their phone to gamble on the go. This rises to 55 per cent when smartphone use is taken in conjunction with tablet betting.
Campaigners claimed the figures show that regulation failed to keep up with consumer habits, leaving young people at risk of developing gambling addictions.
They pointed to research showing gambling apps may be as addictive as ‘crack cocaine’ Fixed Odd Betting Terminals (FOBTs) – which are now heavily regulated.
The Government reduced the maximum stake on FOBTs from £100 to £2 after a campaign by the Daily Mail and MPs, but no such action has been taken online. Matt Zarb-Cousin, of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, said regulations needed to reflect ‘how people gamble today’, and that there must be the same restrictions online as off.
Lord Chadlington, Conservative peer and former Chair of Action on Addiction, echoed this and said
The Mail, February 18 the 2005 Gambling Act must become ‘aligned with digital developments’.
The proportion of gamblers going online – 18 per cent – has remained stable since 2015, but figures highlight the migration from computers to mobile phones. The change mostly affects the young, with around two thirds of 18 to 34-year- olds saying they used a smartphone to bet, compared to one in ten over-65s. The report also showed that laptop use for gambling had declined.
And the report shows how gambling companies take advantage of social media to keep younger customers betting, with well over half of 18 to 34 year- olds who bet following bookmakers on Facebook or Twitter.and YouTube.
Professor Richard Tunney, head of psychology at Aston University, said young people are most at risk of becoming gambling addicts as they are on their mobiles most often. He added: ‘For people psychologically disposed to addictive behaviours, this means an outlet for that is now just a tap away.’
Yesterday’s report, entitled ‘Gambling participation in 2018: behaviour, awareness and attitudes’, said younger people were more likely to gamble while on the go.
There are 420,000 gambling addicts in the UK, with as many as two million at risk of becoming problem gamblers. And an estimated two people take their own lives every working day in due to gambling addiction.
Last week, this newspaper reported that market leader Bet365 was giving thousands of pounds back to its big losers to keep them betting.