Fear gambling boom is destroying young lives
A BOOMING gambling industry is ruining young lives and could be used for money laundering, say MPS.
Now an inquiry is to be launched into the impact it is having on women and children.
A surge in online and mobile gaming has seen licensed gambling grow by 57 per cent in a decade.
A House of Lords report last month warned of a “perfect storm of addictive 24/7 gambling”, claiming that it drives one player to take his or her life every day. It also said there are 55,000 youngsters aged 11–16 with related problems.
MPS including former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith have written to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, urging him not to delay reform and adding: “Enough is enough.”
Conservative MP Richard Holden says the lack of transparency in the industry is a “real issue… because so many of these companies are based offshore, even though they are registered in the UK [it] is very difficult to track some of their operations”.
Mr Holden is also worried that people may be turning to crime or falling deep into debt to deal with their gambling losses.
He wants to know how many people are in prison because they everything perfectly in synchronicity. So it feels like he is there and one metre away he or she is dancing.
“In my imagination there are certain things you can do and certain things that you can’t do.
“But what we can all do is make the perfect shape and the perfect dance and it is as if we are together – we are almost together.
“It will look stunning. Or we’ll all be having holograms of our partners!”
Strictly is due to return to BBC One in October and is expected to last for nine weeks instead of the usual 13.
It will also see stars living together in a “bubble” in a big house.
Meanwhile Arlene is offering a cha-cha chat with herself on Zoom as an auction prize for a virtual tea in aid of the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the disabled ontuesday.
● For more details visit qef.org.uk/queenstea started stealing to pay off a debt or fund a gambling habit.
He said: “What we can’t have is a small-scale review. This needs to be looking at the entirety of the 2005 Gambling Act… online, casinos and bookies… a real deep dive into it.” The UK is home to an estimated 395,000 problem gamblers.
The NHS is increasing its help for people with serious problems, with up to 15 clinics open by 2023-24. Betting companies enjoyed a “yield” of £11.3billion (bets placed less winnings paid out) in 2018-19, with gambling duties of £3billion going to the Treasury. The Government has promised to review related legislation but set no date.
Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Swansea East, chairs the all-party group on the fallout from the industry. She said: “Gambling harm is a major problem in this country and yet the Government is doing nothing about it. I am appalled they stand by while people lose more than they can afford and children are bombarded by gambling advertising.”
Treasury Minister John Glen said the UK had a “comprehensive” antimoney laundering and counterterrorist financing regime.
A Gambling Commission spokesman said: “Protecting children and vulnerable people from gambling harms is at the heart of our work and any child experiencing harm from gambling is unacceptable.”