The £5billion debt nightmare of problem gamblers

Daily Mail 24th December 2008



Problem gamblers have run up £5billion in debts.

Addicts owe nearly twice as much as the £2.7billion Gordon Brown borrowed to extricate himself from the 10p tax fiasco, a study reveals.

Government-commissioned figures show there are 284,000 individuals hooked on betting in Britain, while gambling watchdogs say the average amount of debt is £17,500.

It means that those who struggle to control their gambling owe £4.9billion. Yet not a single NHS trust has a dedicated gambling addiction treatment programme.

Critics said the vast sum was clear evidence of the soaring levels of despair brought about by the Government's controversial decision to ease betting laws.

Opposition MPs, doctors and charities have warned of a 'devastating' surge in gambling addiction and debt, leading to increased family breakdown, crime and ill health.

The figures on debt levels were uncovered after the Tories analysed betting industry data.

The party's culture spokesman Jeremy Hunt said: 'The Government has shown a complete lack of leadership and has shamefully and irresponsibly turned a blind eye to the level of debt racked up by gamblers.

'It is deeply concerning - especially at a time when people are struggling to cope with the economic downturn - that vulnerable people are drowning in huge gambling debts.

'The Government must take problem gambling addiction seriously.'

Labour relaxed the gambling laws to allow the building of casinos with bumper £4,000 jackpots, while giving a green light for bookmakers and betting websites to advertise on TV for the first time. It has also become easier to join a casino or play on fixed odds terminals in betting shops.



In October, the Mail revealed that the number of problem gamblers seeking help had rocketed by 25 per cent since Labour relaxed the rules.

Nearly 38,000 people called a betting addiction hotline last year compared with just over 30,000 in the previous year, according to Gamcare.

Average levels of debt had soared from £13,800 to £17,500, added the UK's best-known gambling addiction charity.

The figures follow a boom in online betting, which in turn follows a massive increase in those staking money on sports events since Labour came to power.

A separate study by the Gambling Commission also found that one million children are addicted to betting, with a further two million under-18s - some as young as ten - at risk of becoming hooked. Ninety-one per cent of young people have gambled at least once in their lives.

The report said Labour's lenient gaming laws were largely to blame, but that liberal parents had to take some responsibility. It said teenagers who gamble were more likely to suffer depression, use alcohol and drugs and fall into truancy and crime, and suggested gambling should be treated as a 'potential public health issue'.

But a survey by the Tories revealed that not one primary care trust ran programmes to treat gambling addiction. Nor did they hold information on the numbers seeking help.

The UK spends £10 a head on support for problem gamblers, compared to £44 in New Zealand and £40 in Canada.

Betting contributed £2billion in taxes. The Culture Department said the number of problem gamblers had not increased since 1999 and added: 'We have the power to take action if problem levels increase.'