UK PROBLEM GAMBLING HAS NOT INCREASED

21 September 2007

Findings confound media speculation that study would show significant increases in problem gambling


It would appear that despite considerable growth in the UK gambling market, the mainstream media pundits on the pastime got it wrong in speculating that Wednesday's report on the Prevalence of Gambling in the UK would show dramatic increases in problem gambling.

Advance copies of the report reaching the media show that the number of problem gamblers in the UK has not altered since the corresponding survey back in 1999. According to the study, commissioned by the UK Gambling Commission, 0.6 percent of the adults involved have a gambling problem.

Researchers questioned 9 003 people between September 2006 and March 2007 about 17 types of gambling - from scratch cards to casinos - and found that overall the number of people gambling fell from 72 percent of the population in 1999 to 68 percent in 2006.

The study showed that buying a ticket for the National Lottery was the most popular form of gambling, accounting for 57 percent of those questioned. Scratch cards amounted to 20 percent while having a flutter on a horse race accounted for 17 percent of all gambling in Britain.

National Lottery figures show that participation fell from 65 percent in 1999, to 57 percent in 2006, while gambling excluding the lottery had risen by two per cent to 48 percent.

The findings confound recent press speculation which suggested that the number of problem gamblers is close to the one million mark. Over the past few weeks mainstream media has been rife with supposedly reliable leaked statistics purporting to show that problem gambling, in line with the growth of the sector, had increased.

Peter Dean, the out-going Commission chairman, reflected on what many will view as an unexpected result. He said: “The key message is that overall there has been surprisingly little change either in the number of gambling participants or to the number of problem gamblers since 1999.

"We remain concerned that there are still over a quarter of a million adults who are problem gamblers.

“The challenge, for us and for the industry, is to tackle this through the new licensing regime that has been put in place from September 1. British-based gambling operators must now comply with strict and detailed social responsibility obligations, and we will monitor how these requirements are met.”

Dean told the BBC in a post-publication interview that 99 percent of adults who gambled did so harmlessly but there were still an estimated 250 000 "problem gamblers" in Britain. He admitted to being pleasantly surprised as he had expected a big increase in the number of problem gamblers.

"It was something of a surprise, and a relief too," he told the BBC. "There have been more forms of gambling available in the intervening years - fixed odds betting terminals in betting shops, online gambling and so forth and yet the overall figures for online gambling are not up."

The next prevalence survey will be published in 2009. For a full copy of the 2007 study go to www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Among the first to respond to the findings was gambling charity GamCare. A spokesman said: “We are delighted to see that the combined efforts of GamCare and the gaming industry, with its heightened commitment to the practices of social responsibility, has led to no increase in the number of problem gamblers in the UK.

"Operators have made, and have indicated that they will continue to make, concerted efforts to raise the awareness of the services provided by GamCare for those individuals who get into difficulty from gambling, including the decision to carry the GamCare HelpLine number in their advertising.

Spokesmen for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it was pleased with the findings, which show that Britain has one of the lowest rates of problem gambling anywhere in the world, and reiterated that government wants to protect children and vulnerable gamblers.

Junior culture minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: "While the results show that problem gambling still only affects a small minority of people, it remains a serious issue, and one which must be addressed."

More detail on Gambling Prevalence study (this from the Gambling Commission site)

Two internationally recognised tools were used to measure problem gambling. The ‘DSM IV’ used in the 1999 survey provides comparative results, while the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a new and more sophisticated measure developed in Canada, replaces the South Oaks Gambling Screen. DSM IV stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders, 4th edition.

Comparisons to other jurisdictions show Britain has a higher gambling problem rate than Norway (0.2%), similar rate to Canada (0.5%), New Zealand (0.5%), Sweden (0.6%), Switzerland (0.8%), lower than Iceland (1.1%), South Africa (1.4%), USA (3.5%), Singapore (4.1%), Hong Kong (5.3%). (Comparisons should be treated with caution, as different methodologies have been used in different countries).

Problem gambling, measured as a percentage of adults shows that, with DSM IV, 0.6% of adults are problem gamblers – the same as 1999. The prevalence of problem gambling among past year gamblers was 0.9% for the DSM IV (compared to 0.8% in 1999 this change is not statistically significant). With the PGSI measure, 0.5% of adults are problem gamblers and 0.8% of past-year gamblers have a problem. These figures include the National Lottery.

The new regime places social responsibility requirements on British-based gambling operators and the Commission will monitor how the industry meets these requirements. Operators will also be required to contribute to education and research about problem gambling, as well as to its treatment. Other requirements include:

* putting in place policies and procedures to discharge their social responsibility obligations;

* training staff to recognise and deal with problem gambling;
prominently displaying where help can be found by those who need it;
enabling players on the internet to keep control by setting limits on their stakes; and

* providing for self-exclusion from gambling premises for players who seek it.

* http://www.gambleaware.co.uk/ is a new gambling advice website set up by the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT). The site is featured on all gambling advertisements from companies regulated by the Commission as part of the industry led advertising code of practice.

The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the public interest. It does so by keeping crime out of gambling, by ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and by protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Commission also provides independent advice to government on gambling in Britain.

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