The news about the problems with gambling in the UK has been growing over the past several years. And now, sad to say, children are getting in on the ‘fun’.
Two online gambling firms have been fined millions for not protecting their customers from the risk of problem gambling, it was reported by Sky News this week. That may seem like something for the business pages rather than a parenting site.
But something big is happening in gambling right now – and it’s impacting families.
The news about the problems with gambling in the UK has been growing over the past several years. And now, sad to say, children are getting in on the ‘fun’.
The 2022 Young People and Gambling report, published by the Gambling Commission, shows that 31% of 11 to 16 year olds spent their own money on some form of gambling over the previous 12 months. That’s almost a third of kids getting into gambling young.
That’s not good news, since gambling stimulates the brain much like drugs or alcohol, leading to addiction, according to The Mayo Clinic.
Research also shows that gambling addiction may be more prevalent than previously thought. Half of those with a problem aren’t getting help.
My personal experience with gambling
I’ve written before, in The Telegraph, about how gambling addiction affected my family, resulted in divorce and losing the family home. (I’ll be sharing more about that here on Netmums soon.)
Afterward I was invited to discuss the issue on the Jeremy Vine radio show and the calls and comments from listeners really affected me. One woman rang in to say the same thing had happened with her partner: he’d developed a gambling addiction and they’d lost their home too. A mother rang in to talk about her 20something son, who had been gambling for a decade and was trying to stop.
A couple of gamblers got in touch to say that the show had encouraged them to come clean with their partners about their secret gambling – something that made me glad I’d gone public with my family’s gambling problem.
The reaction to the article and radio appearance – with even friends and acquaintances revealing gambling problems in their families – also convinced me that this was a problem even before the cost of living crisis. Now it’s even worse.
Who gambles?
I know what you might be thinking. These people who start gambling have only themselves to blame.
You might think: These kids are just blowing a few pounds on bets.
Or – when it comes to people spending and losing thousands – you might think: Who has thousands of pounds to throw around anyway? They must be rich and able to afford it.
But the problem is precisely that: A lot of people who are sucked into gambling can’t afford it. They get addicted to the ‘high’ and seek it out more and more. As the losses mount and the desperation grows, their gambling pastime turns into a problem that then turns into an addiction. The result: a spiral of debt, anxiety, depression and guilt.
See what the charity StepChange’s list of warning signs of gambling addiction. Netmums has partnered with StepChange and you can get advice from one of their experts right here on our Forum.
Why gambling matters more now
At a time when more people than ever are worrying about money and bills, gambling can be impossible to resist. It provides a quick adrenaline rush (which makes you feel good and is a break from the stress and anxiety that seem everywhere these days) and it dangles the possibility of winning big (finally fixing your finances! The electricity bill can be paid…).
Once you’re in debt due to gambling, you’re chasing your losses, trying to just get back to zero. You’re in a hole and you can’t stop yourself from digging. (In fact, chasing your losses is one of the signs of gambling addiction.)
The gambling sites that were fined
The site 32red.com was fine £4.2m and Platinum Gaming Limited (which runs unibet.co.uk) was fined £2.9m, according to Sky News. Both companies are owned by parent company Kindred Group.
According to The Gambling Commission, these companies “overlooked” policies and procedures when it came to customer accounts and anti-money laundering practices.
But then consider that the gambling industry generated £14.08 BILLION from April 2021 to March 2022, according to Statista. That’s more than the GDP of Jamaica.
It’s obvious from all this that the gambling companies are as addicted to US as we are to THEM.
A long-delayed gambling white paper from the government is rumoured to finally be coming out. It’s been promised since December 2020.
We have to act now
The rules and guidance set out in the white paper will be important for all of us – parents, teens, husbands, wives and partners and especially children. (Teens are considered a particularly vulnerable group when it comes to gambling, as they start doing it with friends betting on sport and become full-fledged gamblers almost before they’re adults.)
Gambling addiction creates debts, destroys mental health, damages families and leaves a lasting impact. It’s building up as a problem that will become a tidal wave affecting our health service, our taxes, the next generation.
Gambling companies can’t be the only ones policing themselves and putting the brakes on problem gambling.
It’s too important to us all to leave it to the companies that are promising 24-hour ‘fun’ … and raking in huge piles of cash from those they’re meant to police.