The town has 18 betting shops, according to a new county council report, and 15.1 per cent of the area’s adults are affected by “gambling-related harms”.
It has cost Hertfordshire County Council around £2.6 million in the 12 months up to September – sparking calls to get a grip on the crisis.
North Watford councillor Asif Khan has called for cross-party collaboration and said gambling addiction “must be treated as a public health issue”.
“I’m concerned about this issue and we need to keep a really close eye on the number of gambling establishments in Watford,” he added. “We also need to make sure help is available to those who want to break the cycle and fight this horrible addiction.
“Behind each statistic is a person or family dealing with financial strain, relationship stress, or mental health challenges. It’s time we addressed this openly as a community.”
As part of its Gambling Harms Strategy, HCC says it will tackle the issue over the next five years by running public information campaigns and expanding access to treatment centres, financial advice, and family support services.
Watford’s mayor Peter Taylor said: “We must make sure that gambling companies pay their fair share of tax so that we can fund services that warn people about the dangers of gambling addiction and help those impacted by this.
“I am so grateful for all the incredible support given by local charities in Watford, such as The Living Room and Watford Citizens’ Advice Bureau. They do so much to help people impacted by the devastating consequences of gambling.”
As well as having the most betting shops (18), Watford also has the most premises per 100,000 adults aged over 18, according to the report. Hertsmere was second with 17 shops, followed by Broxbourne (16) and Stevenage (14).
At the lower end, North Herts has 10, while Three Rivers and St Albans both have 6.
A spokesperson for Citizens’ Advice Watford said: “Our frontline team see the devastating harm that gambling has on many aspects of people’s lives, including being driven into debt, job loss, relationship breakdown and mental illness.
“We see first-hand that people struggling with gambling will be unable to find a way forward through their money problems without getting expert help with gambling.”
Hertfordshire County Council did not respond to a request for comment.