In 2017, the Gambling Commission, the body which regulates gambling in England, Scotland and Wales, declared gambling to be a public health problem.
Gambling includes a wide range of activities. These include lotteries, sports betting, gaming machines, casino games, and bingo. The Gambling Act 2005 in the UK defines gambling as betting, gaming or participating in a lottery. These activities are currently licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, which was established under the Gambling Act 2015 and is answerable to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Online gambling includes bingo, casino games, poker and sports betting and has become increasingly popular during the Internet era.
Gambling can be harmful, and the resulting harm can lead to devastating consequences. Debates on harm reduction have to address the belief that gambling is a personal choice and the fact that gambling operators provide employment and contribute significant tax revenues. Gambling winnings, it must be remembered, are not treated as taxable income in the UK. The gambling sector itself is big business, comprising high-street betting shops, casinos, bingo halls, poker rooms, as well as increasing numbers of online operators.
Problem gambling can cause financial difficulty and lead to home repossession from uncleared debt and unpaid bills, family and relationship breakdowns, substance misuse, depression, and even suicide. The detrimental effects of gambling disproportionately involve vulnerable people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, often in areas of social deprivation.
Problem gambling is now recognised as a condition that can be defined and treated, just as any other addiction. Many forms of support are emerging. GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133). The NHS provides a specialist National Problem Gambling Clinic in London. Gamblers Anonymous UK runs local support groups that use a 12-step approach, as first introduced by Alcoholics Anonymous.
It is unrealistic to abolish gambling. What is needed is a safety net for problem gamblers. Much guidance about responsible gambling is now available, advising gamblers on ways to reduce any financial losses to manageable levels.
Recently, attempts have been made to control high-risk gambling. Fixed odds betting terminals appeared in the UK in 2001 and offer various types of gambling games. All pay-outs are fixed in amount and have an equal chance of being triggered. These terminals have been directly linked with problem gambling, as bets can be placed repeatedly, as often as at 20-second intervals.
Following a 12-week consultation which ended in January 2018, the UK government, in April 2019, reduced the maximum permitted stakes at fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2. The government intended the consequent loss in tax revenues to be offset by increased taxation of online gambling. The move was, however, felt to put many high-street bookmakers at risk of closure from a considerable fall, projected to be as much as half, in their annual incomes.
Gambling is here to stay and cannot merely be legislated away. It is important to maintain and strengthen existing controls on gambling operators and to provide safeguards and help for gamblers as part of what is currently a sustainable sector of the economy.
Ashis Banerjee (have encountered many victims of gambling)