Published
Land-BasedLegal & Regulatory

NHS director calls for gambling firms to fund addiction treatment

The national mental health director for NHS England says gambling firms should be served with a compulsory levy to fund addiction treatment.

nhs news

A voluntary system is currently in place, allowing the industry to decide how much it contributes to helping gambling addicts. But Claire Murdoch, national mental health director for NHS England, has criticised the system, saying gambling firms must contribute more to funding addiction treatment.

Murdoch’s comments come amid the UK Government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act, as well as a rise in spending on online casino games and slot machines. She said 750 people have been referred to specialist clinics for treatment of serious addiction since April 2020, with the health service aiming to open more gambling clinics throughout England in the near future.

“After seeing the destruction the gambling industry has caused to young people in this country, it is clear that firms are focused on profit at the expense of people’s health, while the NHS is increasingly left to pick up the pieces,” said Murdoch.

“In a year when the NHS has dealt with our biggest challenge yet in Covid-19, the health service’s psychologists and nurses have been treating hundreds of people with severe gambling addictions.

“The gambling industry must take more responsibility, as the nation has come together over the last year to support the NHS, whether it be volunteering as vaccinators or showing their gratitude to staff. The bookmakers must also step up and agree to a mandatory levy to pay for dealing with the harms of problem gambling.”

Premium+ Connections
Premium

Revsharks

 
Premium

PIN-UP Partners

 
Premium

RISK

 
Premium

Sport Generate

 
Premium

GammaStack

 
Premium

Galaxsys

 
Premium

Imagine Live

 
Premium

Digitain

 
Premium

1xBet Partners

 
 
Premium

Lynon

 
Premium Connections
Consultancy

SCCG Management

Executive Profiles
Zeal Network SE

Stefan Tweraser

VIP Play

Les Ottolenghi

Scientific Games

Keshav Pitani

Social & App

Spribe CEO exclusive: Simplicity is the foundation

Spribe CEO David Natroshvili speaks to Gambling Insider abou...

Redefining iGaming: A history of crash games

Crash games is a growing vertical that has taken gambling by...

A certain something: What makes crash games special?

Crash games. They’re simple, they’re easy to learn and,...

Smarter innovation to shape the future

Spribe CCO Giorgi Tsutskiridze discusses the past, present a...

Facing Facts: The corner of quarterly contemplation

With Q1 reports out across the industry, Gambling Insider co...

Taking Stock: A guide to key stock prices across the industry

Gambling Insider tracks prices from some of the industry’s...

15 years of Gambling Insider: From the Founders

Over the last 15 years, Gambling Insider magazine has interv...

15 years of Gambling Insider: The Awards over time

Global Gaming Awards Event Manager Mariya Savova gives us he...