Reported surge in UK gambling addiction during lockdown
Charity helpline Gordon Moody Association has seen a sharp increase in interactions with problem gamblers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with calls jumping from 30 to 1,000 a month during the period from April to June.
The number of people reportedly expressing suicidal thoughts reached five a day at the peak of lockdown, with the association announcing a five-fold increase in referrals for treatment in severe gambling addition from the NHS and other groups.
The charity also revealed that one third of all patients are online gamblers.
MPs and the House of Lords have voiced ongoing concerns that the isolation and boredom of lockdown would fuel gambling addiction.
“These figures show how urgent it is that the Government gets on with its commitment to review Britain’s gambling laws,” said Tory MP Richard Holden, a member of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling.
The Gambling Commission in May found that, while sports betting fell by 31% during lockdown, the use of online slot machines was up 25%, online poker grew by 38% and betting on virtual sports soared by 40%.
“We did feel that we were likely to experience a major storm because of the coronavirus crisis, [and] these figures may yet be the first signs of the storm,” said Gordon Moody CEO Matthew Hickey.
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