JAYNE BRYANT & MICK ANTONIW
COLUMNIST
GAMBLING has been part of our culture for centuries.
Lots of us enjoy a flutter on the horses on Grand National day and others a little more often. People will recall sitting down with their parents to do the weekly football pools, going to the bingo hall or getting the weekly national lottery ticket.
These are pastimes that so many enjoy, and long may that continue. No one wants to be a spoilsport or to stop people having a good time.
Today, however, we live in a different world. Technology and 24-hour sports coverage has transformed gambling.
Online gambling sites offering ever-more bespoke odds have proliferated, removing the need to physically visit a betting office, to fill in a pools form or even attend the bingo hall.
This new world has allowed people to gamble online at any time of the day, on any event, alone.
What was once an occasional, often social, pastime is now a potential health hazard, as for a growing number of people, addiction is only a click away.
We commissioned research from the University of South Wales in response to growing concerns raised by constituents that more and more people were struggling with gambling.
We commissioned this research along with three other Assembly Members, looking at five local authorities; Newport, Denbighshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham.
It begins to shine a light on what appears to be a growing public health problem exposing that increasing numbers of people, up to 27%, could be at risk of problem gambling.
It highlights discrepancies in how people define “gamblers”, with 26% of respondents saying they do not consider themselves to be gamblers, but 99% admitted to engaging in some gambling activity – the most common being slot machines, the national lottery and online betting on sports events.
There is a lack of awareness of addiction amongst some of the most at-risk groups; it is becoming increasingly easy to fall into bad habits, but at the same time people are in denial about whether or not the amount they gamble is healthy.
Our research indicates that, for those who have experienced hardship as a result of gambling addiction, industry behaviour is seen as cynical and irresponsible and can be seen to prey on the most vulnerable in our communities.
For example, the report found that there are often clusters of betting shops in particularly deprived areas, with up to 12 licensed gambling outlets in a 400m radius found in certain areas of Wales. This perceived deliberate targeting of the poor involved making gambling accessible and creating false hope through aspirational advertising.
But this report has only scratched the surface. There is a need for more research and analysis to understand more clearly the extent and nature of this growing social affliction.
It is not good enough for us to sit back. We must now recognise gambling as a 21st century public health hazard.
We must take steps to limit its impact in our communities, while we develop new regulatory controls over the industry. Amending the Gambling Act to restrict the preponderance of betting offices in poorer areas would be a start.
Jayne Bryant AM for Newport West and Mick Antoniw AM for Pontypridd