WILL GAMBLING ADDS INCREASE PROBLEM GAMBLING?

17 August 2007

British psychiatrists demand better safeguards

A report in the BBC's "Waveguide" publication claims that UK doctors are concerned over a surge in the addiction to gambling rate when the first television commercials for casinos and bookmakers appear next month as the new Gambling Act comes into force.

The publication says that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has attacked as "crazy" the decision to lift restrictions on gaming commercials, and stress that planned safeguards went nowhere near far enough and should be further considered.

Culture Secretary James Purnell insists that the commercials must not be linked to sexual success or "enhanced attractiveness", feature people under 25 or encourage behaviour that could lead to "financial, emotional or social harm".

They will not be shown before the 21:00 watershed - except during sporting events such as horse racing.

But the Royal College claims there is clear evidence that advertising could "...result in an increase in excessive gambling and consequent harm" and called for the deregulation to be postponed.

Dr Emanuel Moran, the Royal College's specialist adviser on pathological gambling, said: "Why are promoters so keen to spend all this money unless it will ensure they increase their takings?"

Some forms of gambling, including the National Lottery, are exempt from the current advertising ban.

But from next month, there will be no restriction on the number of TV commercials from casino operators, online gaming sites and bookmakers.

Dr Moran said: "It's quite a simple equation. The more the industry takes, the more gambling is going on. The more gambling that's going on, the more people there are who are going to play to excess.

"The more people who play to excess, the more damage there is to the individual, to the family and to society at large." He said it was "crazy, really" to go ahead without establishing whether it was possible to regulate online gambling based overseas.

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