New research shows pandemic causes surge in gambling addiction in women
The pandemic has led to a wave of gambling addictions in people with no history of addiction – particularly single mothers – a new report by the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) has revealed.
The report, commissioned by Clean Up Gambling comes in anticipation of a long-awaited government white paper, which will propose an update of the 2005 Gambling Act.
The data showed that participants were taking on thousands of pounds of debt, many times larger than their annual income.
One participant, a mother from Glasgow, developed an addiction to online slots that left her with a quarter of a million pounds of debt in less than two years.
It also showed that women who are lone parents had an alarmingly short time frame between first spin and addiction.
Far from taking measures to protect women at risk, the report suggested that the gambling industry exploited gender differences by creating marketing campaigns targeted at women who are feeling socially isolated.
Women tended to be older than men when they begin gambling, but seek help after a shorter amount of time. On average, it took women 17.1 years from the time they first began gambling to the time they began using Gamban, a device-based software that blocks access to gambling websites and apps. For men, this period was 19.8 years.
Women engage most frequently in online slot games (85.9 per cent), online casino games (41.2 per cent) and online bingo games (22.4 per cent).
Matt Zarb-Cousin, Director of Clean Up Gambling said: “The government’s review can address some of the consequences of gambling liberalisation and our outdated laws, which are now severely impacting on women. It’s imperative that its White Paper for reform is brought forward as soon as possible, before more people are harmed as a result of not fit for purpose regulation.”
Director of CLASS, Ellie Mae O’Hagan commented: “The explosion of problematic gambling amongst women is a public health crisis that needs addressing right now. Our leaders can no longer stand by while the gambling operators manipulate people into losing money so that they can line the pockets of industry bosses. It’s time for the government to step up and protect families from this predatory industry, rather than turning a blind eye.”