NHS bosses have warned people to be wary of “enticing” betting adverts this Boxing Day, as it revealed demand for gambling addiction treatment has soared in the last year.
While NHS England is facing an “uphill battle” to help addicts, experts say many will be facing a “barrage” of advertisements encouraging the practice during the festive season.
With 20 Premier League fixtures on Boxing Day and a big day in the winter horse racing calendar, doctors voiced concerns this could create a “perfect storm” of temptation for those who have suffered from gambling addictions in the past.
Dr Matt Gaskell, head of the NHS Northern Gambling Service, said: “People may receive extra money as gifts or bonuses during the holiday period, or find that money is short, could be tempted to place a bet and end up betting more than they intended.
“With the barrage of adverts promoting festive fixtures, races, and offers, such as free Christmas bets, it can make it look enticing, but these tend to encourage people to bet at high frequency.
“I have seen first-hand at my clinic how the festive period can lead to additional gambling harms. If you’re worried about how gambling is affecting you, I urge you to please come forward to our clinics by self-referring or speak to your GP practice.”
It comes as referrals for gambling addiction have gone up almost 130%, with almost 2,000 people referred to gambling clinics between April and September this year compared to just over 800 in the same period last year.
To manage demand, the NHS has almost doubled the number of clinics for problem gambling in England with 15 services now operating across the country, up from eight.
Claire Murdoch, NHS national director for mental health said: “Addiction is a cruel disease that can take over and ruin lives. NHS England has almost doubled the number of specialist clinics available in the space of a year, so if you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction please come forward.
“The NHS cannot be left alone to pick up the ills caused by firms engaging in activities that fuel addiction - these companies should think hard about the potential harms to people behind their profits.”
Around 138,000 people could be problem gambling according to Gambling Commission figures, with around a further 1.3 million people engaging in either moderate or low-risk gambling – although other research estimates that this figure could be even higher.
The latest figures show more than a quarter of 11- to 17-year-olds had spent their own money on gambling activity in the last year.
NHS England’s gambling clinics - which have all opened since 2019 - are made up of psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses and people who have recovered from gambling addiction. They are designed to provide help to those struggling with gambling themselves, but also those close to them, such as family, partners, and carers.
