The rise in mobile betting apps and in-play betting options has contributed to the rise in problem sports gambling, a Bristol University expert has said.
Psychology lecturer Dr Philip Newall, speaking on new UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) data revealing 1.3 million people facing sports-betting related issues, explained that technological advances have been key to rise in problem gambling.
The data, which was released on Monday, suggests problem gambling rates could be 8 times higher than previously expected, a reported 2.3% population.
Dr Newall, whose research centres around “gambling related harm and provides insight to inform policy to reduce harm”, highlighted the link between speed of betting play and gambling-related
In-play betting refers to bets made during a sports event. “In play naturally gives you a faster speed of play than bets have to made before sporting events start”
“Across all gambling formats, the shorter time period between putting a bet on, seeing results for that bet, and putting the next bet on – the stronger [the] association with harm”.
He also noted that mobile betting opens consumers up to vast amount more events to bet on than before, and the constant string of sporting events post COVID have been an environmental factor in accelerating this
“Theres always going to be a sporting event somewhere in the world someone can bet on – [this] allows people to wager faster on sports than ever before”.
“Since everything stopped over COVID, it’s been pretty much non stop since then, they’ve tried to put on all the different events that were cancelled initially”
In our winter consultations, we want to hear your views on topics, including:
— Gambling Commission (@GamRegGB) December 5, 2023
– socially responsible incentives
– customer-led tools
– transparency of protection of customer funds
– regulatory data
To have your say, visit the consultation web page 💻 https://t.co/DLxLUJv28D pic.twitter.com/wEVcmctdpH
In April of this year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport released a White Paper which set out “the government’s plan for reform of gambling regulation following the review of the Gambling Act 2005”.
The paper, titled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age – included plans to limit online stakes, levy betting companies, remove loopholes currently allowing under-18s to bet alongside giving the UKGC more power.
Dr Newall says he’s pessimistic over central governments efforts to target problem gambling due to the speed at which the industry evolves
“Policy making in gambling happens very slowly – this report was published in April 2023 however the report is based on evidence the government asked for between December 2020 and march 2021”.
“However, because the evidence it uses is based on upon information that is two plus years old it only really provides a response to how the digital gambling world was in that time period”.
On 29th November the UKGC announced a second wave of consultations to inform future policy. Speaking at the launch of these consultations, Executive Director of UKGC Tim Miller, believes the government is focusing on ensuring safe gambling:
“The White Paper set out that a top government priority is ensuring that gambling happens safely. We share this commitment and today’s consultations propose how we can deliver on it.”
Speaking on betting companies in the sport, Dr Newall said young men are directly at risk
“The biggest at-risk demographic for gambling related harm is young men – quite a lot of them are going to be watching quite a lot of sport”
Bower News approached Bristol Rovers and Bristol Sport Group, which oversee Bristol City, Bristol Bears and Bristol Flyers to comment on work they do to reduce harm from sports betting. We were unable to get a response.
If you or somebody you know are experiencing issues with gambling, you can get help and access information from ARA, GamCare, and call The National Gambling Helpline at 0808 8020 133 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
