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NHS England has warned of a significant increase in patient care demands for the treatment of gambling addiction, a problem fuelled by gambling adverts promoted over the festive period.
Concerns about the capacity to meet patient demands were raised by Dr Matt Gaskell, Head of the NHS Northern Gambling Service, and Claire Murdoch, the National Director for NHS Mental Health Services.
As noted, gambling addiction referrals “have risen by 130%, with almost 2,000 people referred between April and September 2023 compared to just over 800 in the same period in 2022.”
Expanding dedicated services for the treatment of gambling harms, the NHS has doubled the number of problem gambling clinics in England, totalling 15, offering support from trained psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, and peer support teams.
Specialist clinics are now located in Sheffield, London, Milton Keynes, Thurrock, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Preston, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, and Telford, as well as a national children and young people’s clinic based in London.
Of significance, NHS gambling clinics have seen a doubling in patient care referrals from 836 in Q1&2 of 2023/24 to 1,914 in Q1&2 of 2024/25.
Dr Matt Gaskell views the festive period as a “perfect storm of temptation” for relapses into gambling addiction, as audiences engage with 20 Premier League fixtures on Boxing Day and a full schedule of winter horseracing.
Temptations are raised by “gifts and bonuses” awarded by operators, as Gaskell warns of a “barrage of adverts promoting festive fixtures, races, and offers, such as free Christmas bets. It can make it look enticing, but these tend to encourage people to bet at high frequency.”
“I have seen first-hand at my clinic how the festive period can lead to additional gambling harms.”
Next year, the NHS will become the chief commissioner of the statutory levy on the research, education, and treatment (RET) of problem gambling harms. Physicians have pledged to expand dedicated treatment and localised support for individuals struggling with gambling, as well as their families, partners, and carers.
As chief commissioner of RET services, the NHS will lead the development of a new centralised structure to combat and reduce the threat of gambling addiction, impacting an estimated 138,000 problem gamblers and 1.3 million engaging in moderate or low-risk gambling. Further key concerns will see the NHS tackle the statistic that 27% of 11-17-year-olds reported spending their own money on gambling activities in the past year.
Claire Murdoch, NHS National Director for Mental Health, said: “Addiction is a cruel disease that can take over and ruin lives. NHS England has almost doubled the number of specialist clinics available in the space of a year, so if you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, please come forward.
“The NHS cannot be left alone to pick up the ills caused by firms engaging in activities that fuel addiction – these companies should think hard about the potential harms to people behind their profits.”
Overseen by the new Labour government, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has cited that it will consider new evidence, and policies will be reviewed on gambling advertising reforms to protect vulnerable audiences.
Responding to questions in the Commons, Stephanie Peacock, DCMS Minister for Sport, Media, and Civil Society, stated that the government views the exposure and volume of gambling advertising as a concern that must be addressed by the Gambling Review.
The Labour government stands by the current governance of gambling advertising overseen by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP).
However, new evidence and policies must be reviewed to counter the disproportionate effect of gambling advertising harms on younger audiences aged below 24 and those vulnerable to harm.
Though Labour maintains the Gambling Review’s White Paper that there is no causative link between gambling advertising and harm, advertising is deemed an area where the DCMS must consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.
