Costs related to gambling addiction cases in the UK amount to more than £100 million every year, according to a rough calculation provided by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Such costs include counseling and mental health services provided to individuals with problem gambling behavior. However, the figure reported by the IPPR does not encompass A&E admissions and other related expenses.
The institute has compiled a detailed report on the matter and it was announced during a meeting organized by responsible gambling lobbyist GambleAware that the study’s results will be made public next week. Here it is also important to note that the research has been commissioned by GambleAware itself.
Attendees at this week’s meeting were informed by the IPPR that between £30 million and £110 million are spent annually on what was described as “secondary” mental health services related to gambling issues. It was also pointed out that expenses that had been included in the report had encompassed consultation and treatment of around 620,000 UK citizens with problem gambling behavior.
The alarming figures came at the worst possible time for the local gambling industry. UK-facing gambling operators are currently under heavy government scrutiny. A triennial government consultation on gaming machines in betting shops and how these are operated closed earlier this week and is expected to result in certain amendments in regulations.
Fixed-odds betting terminals or B2 gaming machines have come under fire for their maximum stakes and the fact that players can place bets every 20 seconds. Responsible gambling organizations have urged officials to curb the devices’ addictiveness for years, and it is believed that measures may be taken by the end of the year or in early 2017.
It has also become known earlier this week that a key industry executive has secretly lobbied against the legalization of FOBTs in the Republic of Ireland. Paddy Power Founder and former CEO Stewart Kenny has opposed the move, arguing that Ireland had to learn a lesson from the UK, where the government was as addicted to the controversial machines as players, and to steer clear of such “addiction.”
The UK gambling industry has also suffered torrents of criticism over the way it advertises its products on television and over the Internet. According to recent industry reports, advertising may be another area to be targeted by the government in a potential crackdown.
