NHS boss issues warning over 'cruel' gambling addiction as record numbers seek help

• Gambling News
• 22 October 2023

As Amanda Pritchard announced that the health service was expanding its support for people with gambling problems due to high demand, she also raises concerns about adults and children being "bombarded" with gambling advertisements.
The head of NHS England has issued a warning regarding the risks associated with "touch of a button" bets following a record number of people seeking treatment in England for gambling addiction.

As Amanda Pritchard announced that the health service is expanding its support for people with gambling problems due to high demand, she also voiced concerns about adults and children being "bombarded" with gambling advertisements.

Compared to 1,013 in the previous year and 775 two years ago, a record 1,389 patients were referred for assistance last year.

The NHS is opening seven more specialized gambling clinics as a result in order to assist those who are experiencing difficulties.

The announcement was made two days after a coroner determined that a father of two's death was partially caused by a gambling disorder.

Before taking his own life on April 22, 2021, at the age of 40, Luke Ashton had accrued debts totaling £18,000 and had lost thousands of pounds gambling on Betfair's exchange.

At the end of a three-day inquest held at Leicester Coroner's Court on Thursday, local coroner Ivan Cartwright stated that the bookmaker could have assisted him more before he committed suicide.

Milton Keynes, Thurrock, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Blackpool, and Sheffield will all host the new NHS clinics.

In addition to the clinics that are currently open in London, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, and Telford, they will also run a nationwide clinic in London that treats young people with gambling and gaming addiction.

Throughout the 15 clinics, the NHS intends to treat up to 3,000 patients annually.

Support groups, family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and aftercare are all available to patients with severe addiction.

The clinics will be staffed by psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses, and peer support workers who will provide support to patients and their partners, family members, and caregivers.

"Now, anyone can wager with a single button click."

"This expansion shows the NHS once again adapting to the new healthcare needs that have emerged over the last 75 years," Ms. Pritchard said, ahead of the organization's 75th birthday on Wednesday.

"When the NHS was established in 1948, you had to go to a bookmaker to place a wager, but today, anyone, young or old, can gamble at the push of a button on their phone and is inundated with advertisements urging them to participate."Referrals to the NHS for treatment of gambling addiction have increased by more than a third from the previous year, indicating that a record number of people are seeking help for this cruel disease that has the potential to ruin lives.

"The NHS is reacting quickly, as it has done since 1948, and launching seven new gambling harms clinics throughout England, so that even more people can receive NHS support in their hour of need."