Gambling-related harms: MPs call on Government to act

• Read the letter
• Health and Social Care Committee

The Committee’s letter follows an evidence session they held on the issue on 2 April and a meeting with the organisation Gambling with Lives, on 22 April. 

The letter cites the serious harms that gambling can cause, financially, physically, mentally, and in some cases as a cause of suicide, with 117 to 496 gambling-related suicides every year in England. 

MPs want the Government to review the Gambling Act, to ensure that the law supports a comprehensive total system response to tackling gambling-related harms. 

Strengthening rules on advertising 

Drawing attention to the evidence that 80% of the population are exposed to some form of gambling advertising on a weekly basis, the Committee asks DHSC to review the current approach to gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship. 

MPs want the Department to consider limiting gambling advertising before the watershed and strengthening the rules on gambling sponsorship of sports teams and sporting events, and on the content of adverts, to ensure that they do not contain elements designed to appeal to children and young people. 

The Committee was concerned to heard from experts how “intrusive and targeted some gambling promotion has become” and that some individuals are receiving offers of free bets in the middle of the night. Today’s letter wants DHSC to consider limiting the frequency and kinds of promotions and incentives that can be sent to encourage individuals to gamble. 

Regulation 

MPs say they were disappointed to hear from OHID [Office for Health Improvement and Disparities] that advertising is “slightly out of the scope of the levy” and that the current approach to prevention is “through the levy and not through regulation.” 

The Committee says “we do not see how OHID can effectively develop a strategy to prevent gambling-related harms without considering the regulation of advertising and broader commercial practices of the sector.” 

The letter states that, “regulation should reflect the fact that some forms of gambling are more harmful than others, taking a risk-based approach that subjects the most addictive and dangerous products to tighter control. This should happen alongside regulation that focuses on protecting vulnerable people.” 

Suicide prevention and gambling-related deaths 

The Committee’s letter to DHSC discusses the case of suicides linked to gambling. MPs ask the Department to explain “what steps it will be taking to raise awareness of gambling suicide amongst coroners and others involved in the investigation of sudden deaths”. During its meeting with Gambling with Lives, the Committee heard that problem gambling is rarely recorded in an individual’s medical notes, unlike smoking, alcohol or drug use. 

The MPs’ letter also asks how the Government’s public health and preventative approach to gambling-related harms will align with the 2023 National Suicide Prevention Strategy, which identified gambling as one of six “factors linked to suicide at a population level”. 

Treatment for gambling-related harms 

MPs also discuss treatment for gambling-related harms, and note that since the Government’s announcement to abolish NHS England, it is not clear which body will be responsible for commissioning specialist gambling treatment. They call on the Government to announce as soon as possible where treatment commissioning responsibilities will lie and to engage with the voluntary sector about how the new commissioner will work with them. 

The Committee welcomes NICE guidance earlier this year, which recommended that primary care clinicians ask patients about their gambling habits. In their letter today MPs ask DHSC to set out how it will be monitoring the implementation of these NICE guidelines. 

Collection of users’ data  

MPs raise concerns over the wide range of data that gambling companies are able to collect about their users’ online gambling activity and over the asymmetry in access to this information. MPs recommend that DHSC and the Gambling Commission work together to mandate greater transparency in the data the gambling sector holds. 

Land-based gambling and local authorities’ powers 

MPs also express their concern over the concentration of land-based gambling establishments in areas of high deprivation and the challenge that some local authorities have had challenging planning applications due to unequal resources. They say the Department should consider making local authorities’ Directors of Public Health a responsible authority on planning licensing applications for gambling establishments. 

Public information campaign 

The Committee recommends that the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) develop and launch a public information campaign to better inform the public about the risks involved in gambling, including gambling-related suicides, with specific communications targeted at people who game, because of the risks from gambling-related content in gaming.

Further information

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