Action urged to tackle crisis levels of gambling addiction in NI

Gamblers in Northern Ireland are four times more likely than those in GB to experience addiction problems and urgent action must be taken, John Kyle has said.
By Mark Rainey
Published 11th Feb 2020, 16:20 BST
Councillor John Kyle has called for government pressure to be put on hugely profitable betting companies to pay for gambling addiction servicesCouncillor John Kyle has called for government pressure to be put on hugely profitable betting companies to pay for gambling addiction services
Councillor John Kyle has called for government pressure to be put on hugely profitable betting companies to pay for gambling addiction services

Speaking just days before a government consultation on reviewing our pre-internet era gambling laws closes, the Belfast PUP councillor and former GP called for the hugely profitable betting companies to do more to assist problem gamblers.

The Department for Communities (DfC) December 2019 consultation document, states: “The department accepts the current legislation is outdated and has not kept pace with industry and technological changes; it is also complex and inflexible.”

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The document also refers to the DfC’s Gambling Prevalence Survey of 2016 which “identified 2.3% of the population as having a gambling problem; over four times higher than that recorded in Great Britain”.

Mr Kyle said: “Online gambling, which is a global industry, has saturated football and many young men now can’t watch a football match without betting on their phones. So betting has become an addiction for many young men. It has become so accessible that it is now a problem. Within the United Kingdom we have the highest problem gambling in terms of prevalence.

“We have no specific services for gambling addiction. Obviously the Department of Health and Health and Social Care Board provide services for depression and other problems that arise from gambling addiction, but they don’t commission any services for gambling addiction.”

Mr Kyle said he did not wish to “totally demonise” the gambling companies as so many people derive pleasure from gambling with no adverse effects, but feels strongly that the companies must do more to identify problem gamblers and to either “turn them away” or “signpost them to a source of help”.

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Mr Kyle also said that only a token amount of money is paid by the big gambling companies each year in Northern Ireland to initiatives aimed at helping those affected by problem gambling.

Last year it was revealed that the boss of online gambling company Bet365 Denise Coates was paid a salary of £277 million for the year 2018/2019, as well as millions more in bonus payments.

However, in a strategic report, the company said “an unwavering commitment to deliver industry-leading approaches to player protection,” and that it would “terminate the [customer] relationship if it feels the risk of harm is too high”.

Related topics:John KyleDepartment for CommunitiesNorthern IrelandGreat Britain