© Provided by Metro Alex Davies-Jones donated £500 to a local food bank after taking part in a charity betting drive (Picture: Facebook/Alex Davies-Jones MP)
A Welsh Labour MP has come under fire for ‘glorifying gambling’ to make a donation to a local food bank.
On Monday, Alex Davies-Jones, who represents Pontypridd in South Wales, visited a food bank in the town after she donated £500.
The donation was made ‘thanks to the Betting and Gaming Council’, which represents the gambling industry, the shadow spokesperson on Culture, Media, and Sport said in a Facebook post.
‘It was a real honour to pop along and let the Pontypridd Foodbank know about a £500 donation that is being made to them on my behalf,’ she said.
‘Thanks to the Betting and Gaming Council I was able to place a charity £50 bet on the Grand National.
‘I placed £25 Corach Rambler to win outright and £12.50 each way on Vanillier. Corach Rambler won and Vanillier placed second.
© Provided by Metro The MP bet on horses in the Grand National (Picture: Facebook/Alex Davies-Jones MP)
© Provided by Metro She donated to the Pontypridd Foodbank (Picture: Facebook/Alex Davies-Jones MP)
© Provided by Metro Davies-Jones said it was an ‘honour’ to give the winnings to the food bank (Picture: Facebook/Alex Davies-Jones MP)
‘The (Pontypridd Foodbank) does vital work to support those most in need, and I know more and more people are having to turn to them for help, particularly through the cost-of-living crisis.’
The donation was made as part of a fundraising drive organised by the Betting and Gaming Council, according to a tweet from the group.
The drive raised more than £13,500 from 40 MPs, with MPs placing bets with local bookmakers that agreed to hand over the winnings to the bettor’s charity of choice. If the horse did not win, the Betting and Gaming Council made a £250 donation.
But Davies-Jones’ donation to the food pantry raised a few eyebrows online, with some Twitter users feeling uneasy that the MP made it after gambling on the horse race.
Pontypridd local Gareth Bundy tweeted yesterday: ‘Glorifying gambling, thanking the Betting and Gaming Council, taking credit for a donation that’s made up of the gambling losses of her constituents.
‘Am I going mad?’
Kevin Pascoe, who stood in the Senedd elections for Labour in 2021, said: ‘Many of those using food banks are in financial distress because of problem gambling. This is obscene.’
A third Twitter user said: ‘That’s some epic trolling. Is this MP encouraging gambling as a way to get food? Or promoting gambling as a way to fundraise?’
Another joked: ‘Use my code “POVERTY” for a free five-pound bet at Betfred!’
In the past 12 months, record numbers of food parcels were handed out by the Trussel Trust, which operates food pantries across the UK, as double-digit inflation sent 750,000 people to food banks.
The charity network distributed nearly 3,000,000 food packages in 2022-23, its highest-ever total and a year-on-year increase of 37%.
Capturing how hard-done-by Brits are increasingly feeling, Trussel Trust said one-in-five people using a food bank were in work.
Campaigners and politicians alike have raised fears over the volume of gambling company profits won from people suffering financial hardship.
How to help someone who gambles
Top tips from Gambleaware.co.uk
Know what they’re going through
Quite often, a person who is struggling with their gambling may feel like they have little or no control. Learn about what they might be going through so you know the best way to help.
How to talk to someone about their gambling
It can be difficult to know what to say to someone who’s gambling. Often they might not see that they have a problem, or they may be convincing themselves that they have their gambling under control when they don’t. If you’re worried about someone’s gambling, the below advice might help you approach the topic with them:
When speaking to someone about their gambling, it’s important to let them know that the reason you’re concerned is because you care about them. If they feel they are understood, they are more likely to talk openly and honestly, which will allow you to develop and negotiate a plan together. Although it may feel difficult to do so, try to be positive with your communication, and avoid saying things that might come across as critical or cause confrontation.
Explaining how you feel might help to lessen the gambler’s defences and keep the conversation open. You could try using ‘I’ instead of ‘you’ to avoid sounding accusatory.
We’ve written a few examples to help you start the conversation, but remember to be yourself, so your conversation sounds natural and genuine.
Once you’ve started the conversation, be patient and listen carefully to what they say without being judgemental. Try not to interrupt when they’re talking, as this might stop them from wanting to talk, or make them defensive. It’s important to be calm and caring, but be careful not to allow them to make excuses for their gambling.
If the gambler is under the age of 18, see our advice on ‘how to help a young person’
Key steps to take financially
To be extra safe, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re protecting your own finances too. Keep your passwords private and protect your joint accounts. If someone you know is having financial difficulties because of gambling, they may find it useful to use gambling-blocking tools. You could also encourage them to speak to their bank, as there may be a number of ways they can help too.
Avoid rewarding gambling behaviour
Giving or lending money to someone who gambles could make their problem worse. Instead, think about setting up a system that rewards positive behaviour instead. For example, you might consider not lending money if they continue to gamble, however, if they cut back or stop gambling you could offer to conditionally help to pay off a bill.
For example, some gamblers may begin convincing themselves that once the debts are paid off, a small gamble may be acceptable.
Make sure you’re looking out for you too
If you’re worried about someone’s gambling, you might also be feeling angry, hurt or betrayed. It can be difficult dealing with these emotions, but it is completely normal.
However you’re feeling, it’s important to not blame yourself or the other person. Gambling is an addictive behaviour, and gambling disorder is a recognised medical issue that can develop because of a number of reasons. There are many ways you can help someone who gambles, but remember, it’s not your job to change their behaviour. There are many support services available to help a gambler, and if you’re struggling, there’s help and support for you too.
The more someone gambles, the more they are likely to miss a mortgage payment, take out a payday line or be pursued by debt collectors, a 2021 report published in the Nature Human Behaviour journal.
Punters who lose £1,000 a day could face extra checks before they can play again as the UK government beefs up gambling regulations.
The UK government’s culture secretary Lucy Frazer is expected to reveal the long-awaited gambling White Paper today in Parliament.
Davies-Jones tweeted of the shake-up today: ‘It’s welcome that the Government are finally bringing forward their long, long-overdue plans for gambling reform today.
‘But let us be clear – the cost of this delay to human lives and to the public purse has been huge.’
Davies-Jones has received gifts from the Betting and Gaming Council and a major bookmaker, according to the 2022-23 Register for Members’ Financial Interests, a record of anything that could be been as swaying a politician.
© Provided by Metro Amid the stubborn cost-of-living crisis, an increasing number of Brits are turning to food banks (Picture: Chris Lacey)
Davies-Jones said in the document: ‘On 7 April 2022, as part of a free bet provided by BetFred, £250 was paid to a charity nominated by me.’
She added that the Betting and Gaming Council handed her a ‘ticket to the Ivor Awards 2021, approx. value £444; on September 21, 2021’.
The Ivor Novello Awards is an annual awards ceremony for songwriters and composers.
Alex Davies-Jones, Pontypridd Foodbank and the Betting and Gaming Council have been approached for comment.
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