EPIDEMIC OF CHILD GAMBLERS

÷55,000 under-17s have ‘a problem’ ÷Another 70,000 deemed ‘at risk’ ÷Experts blame explosion of TV ads

THE alarming scale of children’s addiction to betting is laid bare in an official report.

It says that the number of problem gamblers aged 11 to 16 now stands at 55,000.

A further 70,000 youngsters are at risk, according to the audit by the Gambling Commission.

It found a worrying 450,000 children – one in seven of those in the 11-16 age group – bet regularly, staking an average of £16 a week each.

The money goes on fruit machines, on bingo, in betting shops or online, which are all illegal for under-18s.

The commission’s report also said:

n Children are being inundated with gambling advertising, with two in three saying they’ve seen it on TV;

n Close to a million youngsters have been exposed to gambling through ‘loot boxes’ in computer games or on smartphone apps;

n More children say they have placed bets in the past week than drunk alcohol, smoked or taken drugs.

Lord Chadlington, former chairman of Action on Addiction, demanded an advertising crackdown. He said: ‘We are on the brink of a gambling epidemic in this

country. I am calling for a stop to gambling advertising on live sporting events on television, and these numbers reinforce the need for urgent action.

‘Italy, which has some 20 per cent fewer problem gamblers than the UK, is banning it. Why is this bombardment of gambling advertising on television continuing in the UK?’

Matt Zarb-Cousin, an ex-addict who speaks for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, said: ‘A generation of young people think gambling is part of watching sport.’ He added: ‘If you get addicted to gambling when at school and you don’t have much life experience before that, it’s very difficult to recover from it.’

The report was based on an Ipsos Mori study of 2,865 11 to 16-year-olds between February and July 2018. They were assessed as either a ‘problem’ or an ‘at risk’ gambler on the basis of questions about their behaviour.

These included how often they thought about gambling, if they had stolen to fund stakes or if betting had ever led them to lie to their parents.

It found the most common route into gambling were fruit machines in pubs or arcades and cash bets with friends.

Some children admitted using betting shops or online gambling sites, both of which are illegal for under-18s. The study revealed one in seven boys followed betting brands on social media sites includFOBTs ing Facebook and Instagram. Last week three families, whose sons killed themselves after becoming addicted to gambling, said they started aged 17 on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) or fruit machines.

Liz Ritchie’s son Jack took his own life aged 24 after initially gambling with his school dinner money. She said: ‘We need tougher enforcement to restrict children’s access to gambling, a ban on advertising that has normalised gambling in children’s minds and a clear public health warning that includes the high suicide risk of gambling.’

Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, which represents some of the major betting firms, said: ‘There are still far too many children gambling. We’ve all got to do more to push that number down.

‘We would say that the number who are problem gamblers is unacceptable, but a lot of it is outside of our control.’

The association, which includes Bet365, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and William Hill, reportedly met yesterday to discuss a complete ban on pre-watershed advertising.

Last week, ministers made a U-turn over their decision to delay the implementation of a £2 maximum stake on after a Daily Mail campaign. East Renfrewshire MP Paul Masterton said: ‘I’m concerned around the number of apps aimed at young children based around the concept of gambling. That risk-reward element seems to ingrain that behaviour at a very young age.’

Ronnie Cowan, MP for Inverclyde, said: ‘The gambling industry has to ask itself some very serious question about its marketing strategy. Our children must be protected.’

Tim Miller, executive director at the Gambling Commission, said: ‘There is no form of gambling that is risk-free. It is therefore vital all those with a part to play in protecting children and young people – parents, businesses and regulators – work together.’

IN the end, they less resembled conquering warriors than a shambolic Dad’s Army.

Challenged that the plot to unseat Theresa May mirrored a script from the classic comedy, Jacob Rees-Mogg joked: ‘I’ve always admired Captain Mainwaring.’ In his head, he may have thought: ‘Don’t panic!’

Rebel Tories have so far spectacularly failed to muster the 48 letters needed for a no-confidence vote.

But danger still lurks and cooler heads must prevail.

Malcontents must heed senior minister Alan Duncan and ditch their machinations. Their actions, he says, ‘amount to a declaration of war within the party’.

Meanwhile, in febrile Westminster, Mrs May is under pressure from the Democratic Unionist Party, which shamefully abstained on Budget votes on Monday – despite pocketing £2billion to prop up the Government.

The DUP and the Brexit rebels are playing with fire. If Mrs May falls, we face a general election. Then Britain could wake to the nightmare of Jeremy Corbyn entering Downing Street – supported by Nicola Sturgeon agitating for another independence referendum.

To want that, in the words of Captain Mainwaring, they would be ‘Stupid boys!’