Gambling needs tougher regulation

GAMBLING addiction hits its victims hard, but because there are no syringes or drunken outbursts in public places it is to a large extent a hidden social problem.

Yet there are hundreds of thousands of people with severe gambling afflictions in the UK and it isn’t taken nearly seriously enough.

It’s hardly surprising that there has been an upsurge of calls to a charity that helps gambling addicts since the lockdown began.

In many cases, people with time on their hands are spending more hours in front of their computer than would normally be the case. Online gambling is a huge temptation, with people being lured in by advertisements that promise them the opportunity to make big wins.

In the age of furlough, people are trying to make ends meet on reduced pay, and for some recouping lost earnings through gambling seems an attractive option. Often, a spiral develops in which more bets are placed in a usually vain bid to win back money that has been lost. This very often leads to misery for those affected and their families.

For too long, gambling has been seen by many as a necessary part of a “jolly” lifestyle. Some are able to limit their financial exposure, but many are not.

It is clear that problem gambling has to be dealt with on two levels the legislative and the personal.

Regulation of the industry is currently far too light-touch and skewed towards the interests of the gambling companies.

It should be far more rigorous and specifically aimed at obliging the firms concerned to show a duty of care towards those they earn their profits from.

Before anyone is allowed to gamble online, they should be obliged to prove they can afford to do so. There are heart-wrenching examples of individuals who have obtained much higher levels of credit than they could afford to repay.

Equally, it’s important that for the benefit of people who wish to kick their gambling habit, loopholes should be plugged which currently enable them to override measures they have put in place to stop themselves from placing bets.

Just as important is the help offered to individuals who have come to the conclusion they want to break free of the gambling spiral, but lack the willpower to do so.

It’s time that gambling addiction was seen not as a fringe concern, but as a growing public health issue that requires serious resource.