The largest-ever study of gambling patterns in the UK puts the number of those hooked at up to 284,000. There are particularly acute problems among punters who bet on newer and fast-growing forms of gambling such as online casinos and spread betting. Leading academics who wrote the report for the Gambling Commission watchdog warned that the figures are 'conservative', and predicted dramatic increases in both gambling and addiction levels.
More than 30 million people admitted to having taken part in some form of gambling last year. The Gambling Prevalence Survey is intended to provide a 'baseline' to measure the impact of the liberalization and regulation in the Government's new Gambling Act. This paves the way for a new generation of giant casinos and allows gambling advertisements on television and radio for the first time.
Researchers found that two-thirds of Britons - around 32 million adults - had gambled within the past year. The figure was down from 33million in 1999 due to a decline in the popularity of the National Lottery, the report says. Researchers found there are around 250,000 problem gamblers in Britain
The lottery draws remain the UK's most popular flutter, played by 57 per cent of the population, followed by scratchcards on 20 per cent, horse racing on 17 per cent and slot machines, 14 per cent. Six per cent of the population - around 3.6million - gambled on the Internet last year, either placing bets online or visiting casino websites. Among adults who had gambled within the past year, the proportion developing serious problems was just under 1 per cent - or up to 284,000 - slightly higher than the UK Drug Policy Commission's estimate of 280,000 heroin addicts.
Some groups were found to be far more vulnerable to addiction, including those who smoke and drink heavily, those who start gambling before their mid-teens and those who bet on newer forms of gambling. Among punters taking part in 'spread betting' - where winnings and losses on sports events are effectively unlimited - almost 15 per cent have serious problems.
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