We must end kids’ gambling addiction
Iwas stunned to read the number of children classed as having a gambling problem has quadrupled to more than 50,000, with 450,000 betting regularly.
I had no idea about the extent of this problem, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t surprise me. Gambling is just so accessible now and there are ways to get around age restrictions.
The problem particularly affects boys – and that’s not a shock either, considering gambling is often associated with sport, and boys are typically more competitive than girls.
For a start, there is too much gambling in sport, and I include tennis in that. There are a lot of doubles matches of Jamie’s that are not shown on TV but are available online – nearly always on sites linked to betting.
Bet365 is one of them and, as you watch, ads are popping up encouraging you to place a
bet while you view – all you have to do is click. They make it so easy.
Young people nowadays want instant gratification and success; they see reality TV and people becoming famous for not doing anything in particular, and betting offers the illusion for kids that if they gamble, they could get a taste of that luxury lifestyle.
You see betting companies sponsoring major sporting events and that puts gambling in front of us in a way it hasn’t always been. Just as with cigarettes or alcohol, the solution may be to crack down on advertising and sponsorship connected to sport. Perhaps betting products should also come with a government health warning recognising gambling as a societal problem.
At the very least, it should certainly be made difficult for young people to bet online. In addition to the education work that’s being carried out around bullying, drugs and cyber safety, gambling awareness should be among the issues tackled in schools – and at home too.
Kids must be warned of the dangers of betting and how unlikely they are to win big. As evidenced by the news that the founder of Bet365 paid herself £265m last year, the only ones getting rich from gambling are the companies behind it.