Tackle harm from gambling, urge campaigners
Submission expresses particular concern for children, teenagers and young adults
Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs has joined churches and charities to urge the UK government to act decisively and urgently in tackling the harm caused by gambling.
In a statement issued ahead of the submission deadline for a review of the 2005 Gambling Act, it calls on the government to treat gambling as a public health issue. ‘Gambling-related harms affect families, communities, colleagues and friends as well as individuals, and can cause mental and physical ill health, indebtedness, family breakdown and most tragically may even result in suicide. These harms simply cannot be tackled by focusing on individuals’ gambling habits or relying on individual organisations to provide solutions. Instead the devolved and UK governments must adopt a public health approach to prevent harm and address population level risks.’
One area urgently requiring action, says the organisation, is remote gambling. ‘The extent of internet gambling or advertising was barely imagined when the 2005 Act was passed. It is a more complex environment with people able to gamble almost anywhere and at any time. Government needs to use this opportunity to require the gambling industry to implement measures, such as caps on expenditure or losses with the aim of reducing risks of gambling-related harm.’
The submission also expresses particular concern for children, teenagers and young adults, and calls for gambling advertising to be dramatically reduced or banned altogether, and for unethical marketing practices to be identified and prevented. ‘We have all welcomed plans to increase the age limit on the National Lottery, called for this to be extended across all lottery products, and for an end to the anomaly that children are still allowed to gamble on Category D gaming machines.’
The group also calls for the government to use the powers given in the 2005 Act to introduce a compulsory levy on the industry to pay for the treatment of gambling-related harm, independent research and preventative measures, including education and public awareness campaigns. ‘It is not acceptable that so many charities and organisations providing help and support still have to rely on gambling industry donations.’
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