More than 420,000 British gamblers lose at least £ 2,000 a year, according to a major report that warns that losses from the most addictive products are “severely distorted” to deprived areas.
The report reveals the criminal losses suffered by the worst players and raises “concerns” about the low level of intervention by gambling companies to prevent damage.
His findings have sparked renewed calls for a government review of gambling regulations, which should take days to include rigorous availability checks and betting limits on online slot machines that allow players to bet large sums on a “spin” “.
Researchers from the National Center for Social Research (NatCen) and the University of Liverpool have expressed particular concerns about online gaming, a £ 4 billion a year category that includes online bingo and casino but is dominated by virtual slots.
Approximately 129,000 gambling users have lost at least £ 2,000 in one year, more than the average gas and electricity tariff for the home, according to an analysis of 140,000 accounts in seven gambling companies.
In fact, the number of people who have suffered such losses is likely to be much higher, as the data cover only 37.5% of the UK online gaming market.
Virtual slots have been singled out as a matter of particular concern, with 50,000 people found playing for the equivalent of eight full days a year, losing an average of £ 5,000. Although gambling is generally male-dominated, this group is more likely to include women.
Companies get 40% of their slot revenue from just 1% of players who have lost an average of £ 10,491 each to games that carry disproportionately high levels of addiction.
Losses in all types of online games are “severely distorted” to the most deprived areas, according to the report, with 20% of the poorest regions providing 25% of the industry’s revenue.
Labor MP Carolyn Harris, who leads an inter-party group of lawmakers investigating the harms of gambling, said: more importantly, the government is taking the necessary steps to protect vulnerable people immediately. “
Zoe Osmond, chief executive of the charity GambleAware, which commissioned the report, warned that “the damage from gambling is falling disproportionately on the poorest communities” and that the cost of living crisis is likely to exacerbate the trend.
Campaigners have called on the government to use its ongoing review to limit bets on online slot machines, similar to the £ 2 limit imposed on fixed odds (FOBT) terminals in 2019, among other measures such as strict restrictions on advertising. The £ 10 billion industry is lobbying hard for tighter regulation.
The report, prepared between 2018 and 2019, highlights the industry’s strong reliance on a small group of heavy gamblers. The top 10% of accounts – those that have bet more than £ 4,568 a year – contribute 79% of the operator’s revenue.
“That’s why online gambling companies are so resilient to accessibility checks,” said Matt Zarb-Kuzin of the Clean Up Gambling campaign team.
“The government must impose restrictions on the pledge […] together with strict checks on the accessibility of a threshold that protects people most affected by the cost of living crisis. “
In sports betting, which is more popular but where average costs are lower, researchers estimate that 290,000 sports betting accounts have lost more than £ 2,000 in one year. The business was heavily skewed towards men, representing 94% of around £ 5 billion in annual revenue.
Researchers said they were “concerned” about the industry’s apparent lack of appetite when customers lose large sums.
Among high-cost people who lose more than £ 2,000 a year, only a third received any kind of intervention, usually in the form of email, while less than 1% received a phone call, the most effective interaction.
A spokesman for the industry lobby group, the Betting and Gambling Council, said: “In 2020, operators performed approximately 5 million safer gambling interactions following signals from their diagnostic systems.
“During the pandemic, members initiated an enhanced surveillance system to allow for enhanced customer engagement, which remains in place today. Over the last year, deposit limits have been set for about 5 million accounts.
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