The UK is behind several other countries in terms of research into the harms caused by gambling, according to the charity Action against Gambling Harms.

A new study, carried out by the Policy Institute at King’s College London for the charity, found that there is relatively little research into the damage caused by gambling in the UK, compared to nations such as the US, Australia and Canada.

The study’s findings will be submitted to the Government as part of its ongoing review of the 2005 Gambling Act, with a lack of funding one of the major issues in terms of understanding the level of problem gambling in the UK.

Researchers identified four key aspects of gambling and found that all four lack crucial evidence; economic costs, gambling by children, gambling by women, and gambling on sport.

The study found that much more research has been carried out internationally, particularly in the areas of gambling by children and women.

“This important study shows how much we still don’t know about gambling and its effects on British society,” said Seema Kennedy, CEO of Action against Gambling Harms.

“We hope that these findings will galvanise research institutions and policymakers into commissioning further work to fill the gaps.”