Claire Murdoch, the head of the National Health Services (NHS) in the UK has written a letter to the chief executives of major gambling firms in the country.
The letter was sent out to bet365, William Hill, Flutter, BetFred and GVC, calling for industry’s help in curbing the deleterious personal and social effects of problem gambling which Murdoch deemed as a vicious gambling cycle.
In response, the industry has re-affirmed their commitment to make responsible gambling the norm.
The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents casinos, betting shops, and online gaming firms in the UK pointed toward their new age-verification checks and ad ban during live sports matches as indicators of their commitment.
The letter comes soon after the ban on credit card gambling by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) which set to take effect on April 14, as well as the ongoing investigation of “bet to view” incentives, where customers are provided free streaming access to the live sports event when they bet on a match.
Gambling Commission
The letter to the CEOs was made public and the contents show Murdoch expressing her concern over the numerous incentives gambling firms offer to customers. She highlighted the fact that these promotions which include VIP programs, free bets, and free sports event access made it exceedingly difficult for problem gamblers in particular to overcome their habit until.
In recent decades, sports and gambling have been interlinked as legal betting markets across the world are now open. Murdoch has described the links between sports and gambling as worrying as 27 out of 44 football clubs in the top two divisions in England have gambling companies as sponsors.
Problem gamblers expressed their suspicion that their addictions were groomed by gambling firms through an incessant stream of promotions, events, and marketing it often felt irrational for them stop gambling.
They claimed that the relationship between sports such as football and gambling was so normalised that many could not enjoy a game without placing a bet on it first. Some problem gamblers expressed concern over most gambling firms’ aggressive marketing tactics, saying that they often felt deluged by advertisements wherever they went, making it impossible for them to keep their mind off of gambling.
The UK currently estimates at least 430,000 have a serious gambling problem. The NHS has confirmed that 14 new clinics that offers gambling treatment will be opened in shortly in England.
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