Public health approach to gambling urged

The Lancet has recommended a public health approach to gambling regulation in the UK, as campaigned for by CARE.

The influential journal recommends 40 new measures to curb gambling harms and bring greater accountability to the betting industry.

It is expected that politicians will draw on this research as they debate proposed reforms to the Gambling Act 2005.

Among the measures endorsed by The Lancet, which sought the views of an independent panel of experts, were:

• Changes to taxation of gambling operators;
• Bans and restrictions on gambling products and marketing;
• Changes to the operation of specific products;
• New information and resources for public health

The study states: "A far-reaching, well resourced, and coordinated public health approach is needed to protect vulnerable people, reduce exposure to gambling products, and provide help to those who experience harms associated with gambling.

"All future research and policy making processes should strive to effectively involve experts on the basis of their knowledge and experience of gambling, and the public more generally, to find appropriate solutions for the issues associated with gambling.

"The implementation of this set of 40 universal and targeted measures could achieve a powerful effect, but we acknowledge that there needs to be careful design, piloting, implementation, adjustment, and evaluation to achieve the expected results."

In July, CARE said that a fourth delay to a crucial government whitepaper on gambling reform was "inexcusable".

The document was ready to be signed off before Boris Johnson's resignation. But officials advised waiting for the new PM to be in post.

Tim Cairns, Senior Policy Officer at CARE, commented:

“A further delay to the publication of the long-awaited white paper on gambling reform is inexcusable. The paper was reportedly ready to be signed off and was a culmination of many months of work and consultation with experts and campaigners. There is a democratic and a moral case for green lighting this proposal, and finally allowing parliamentarians to get to grips with it.

“Every day in the UK a person takes their own life because of gambling-related harm. Delaying reform will only cause more untold grief. Given reports that key reforms, such as an industry levy, were to be dropped from the whitepaper, any new Conservative leader coming into office must ask whose side they are on. Will they fight to help the vulnerable? Or side with the gambling industry?

“Reform needs to be comprehensive. Curbs need to be placed on advertising, on the relationship between gambling and sport, and measures are needed to ensure children are kept safe. Given the cost to society of gambling-related harm, a meaningful statutory levy needs to be put in place. The industry should be forced to pay for the harm it creates, not the NHS and taxpayers.”