NHS ‘can’t be expected to pick up pieces of problem gambling’

The NHS’s mental health chief has called for bookmakers to end tactics that are helping fuel the UK’s gambling addiction crisis.

In a letter addressed to Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur and Betting And Gaming Council chair Brigid Simmonds, the NHS’s national mental health director Claire Murdoch warned that the health industry “should not be expected to pick up the pieces” from lives damaged by problem gambling.

In particular, Ms Murdoch pointed to the prevalence of “certain tactics” used by firms to encourage gamblers to chase their losses as “concerning”.

“As the head of England’s mental health services and a nurse of more than 30 years’ experience, I have seen firsthand the impact on mental wellbeing of addiction and am concerned that the prevalence of gambling in society is causing harm,” Ms Murdoch said.

“In particular... I am concerned that offering people who are losing vast sums of money free tickets, VIP experiences, and free bets, all proactively prompt people back into the vicious gambling cycle which many want to escape.

“For seven decades the NHS has adapted services in response to current challenges, but we should not be expected to pick up the pieces from lives damaged by avoidable harm.”

Ms Murdoch’s letter follows the Gambling Commission’s decision earlier to introduce a ban on customers placing bets with their credit cards.

She called on the industry to implement a number of harm-minimisation measures, including stopping the “targeting of high-loss customers”.

“In order to operate safely, the industry has a responsibility to prevent the occasional flutter turning into a dangerous habit,” Ms Murdoch said.