A new national clinic for gamblers with problems is set to open in Soho, London and will be accepting referrals from 15 September. A survey conducted in 2007 showed that one in five problem gamblers become addicted, which brings increased risk of debt-ridden addicts or in extreme cases, suicide.
The gambling industry, including online bingo, casinos and sportsbooks, has donated £250,000 to the clinic to date. The clinic has secure funding for one year, but after that its fate is uncertain. The British Medical Association is looking for an annual figure of £10 million to run the clinic.
Funding for projects such as the clinic is at the centre of a huge row within the industry, and the question on everyone’s lips is how much should casinos, bookmakers, online casino operators, online bingo sites and arcades contribute? The £55 billion industry has already donated £3.5 million for a treatment and research fund last year.
Embroiled in the furious debate are Gamcare, an industry funded self-help group, the RIGT which is the distribution body, and the gambling industry which is hovering in the background, all groups at loggerheads.
However everyone agrees on one solitary issue, that the industry is already paying its fair share. In accordance with the Gambling Act 2005 the industry pays billions in taxes to the Treasury, plus an additional £16 million towards the running costs of the Gambling Commission, the government appointed regulator.
The government is not much help, having passed the Gambling Act into law and introducing a much higher tax rate than expected together with stringent regulations, the Gambling Commission is struggling to consolidate its position.
The overall result has meant serious delays in funding for projects such as the new clinic. With shortfalls coming up almost every year, only last minute donations from the UK’s biggest gambling firms such as Gala Bingo and Ladbrokes have helped save the day. Even with the extra help, the over-riding factor of uncertainty simply increases the difficulties in fund distribution.
The much publicised super-casino saga attracted major funding from US operators fighting to open Las Vegas style casinos in the UK, but this source of funding was killed off with the scrapping of the super-casino plan by Gordon Brown as soon as he took office.
Gambling Commission figures estimate about 250,000 problem gamblers in the UK, but Gamblers Anonymous estimates a figure closer to 600,000. The BMA wants gambling to be recognised as an addiction, with care offered on the NHS.
Bingo Pundit 