Citizens Advice calls for government action on gambling levy

The charity has published a new report, Out of Luck, that reveals the knock-on effects of problem gambling.

It finds that up to 4.3 million family members, friends and work colleagues of the estimated 430,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain often suffer serious issues such as problem debt and relationship breakdown.

Citizens Advice said it wants the government to ensure firms contribute more to addressing the issues caused by problem gambling by enforcing section 123 of the Gambling Act, which gives the Secretary of State the power to set how much gambling companies must pay.

It said the current voluntary agreement between betting companies and the Gambling Commission - in which firms decide on how much they contribute to support people struggling with the effects of gambling - could potentially leave a funding shortfall.

The report found that the harm created by gambling includes a detrimental effect on health, increased debt, housing and employment issues, family and relationship problems, and social exclusion.

The report, Out of Luck, found:

• More than a third of households, with children, where there was a problem gambler experienced family breakdown;
• Almost one in five people who had a problem gambler in their life said there were times they could not afford food;
• More than half of people affected by a problem gambler suffered mental ill health as a result their behaviour.

The report also looks at the causes of problem gambling and the effectiveness of certain remedies, such as self-exclusion.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice said: “While we recognise that gambling companies contribute towards support services, the voluntary agreement currently in place is not sufficient.

“Our research shows the life-changing effects problem gambling can have on the families, friends and work colleagues of the gambler - from increased debt to family breakdown.

“We’re calling on the government to use the powers it already has to compel the gambling industry to contribute enough money to fund research, education and support for the treatment of all those affected by problem gambling.”

Citizens Advice is using the evidence published in the report to respond to the government consultation on gambling that is looking at the social responsibility of betting firms and the use of fixed-odds betting terminals.