The UK Gambling Prevalence Study has shown a major increase in online gambling despite showing no increase in the number of problem gamblers and the level of gambling in general.
The report has indicated that 3.5 million people regularly gamble online - a rise of an amazing 600 percent in the last 5 years.
The report had also found that 6 percent of the population use the Internet to gamble and just 3 percent of the
The figure of 32 million gamblers in the
The gross revenue of the industry now stands at an estimated £9.3 billion. It is also thought that bingo players alone stake a staggering £1.8 billion a year.
The Gambling Prevalence Study has found that 99 percent of people gamble responsibly.
However, it found the number of problem gamblers standing at 250, 000 or 1 percent of
It seems that the introduction of online betting has had no impact on the amount of problem gamblers in the
Although there has been no increase in the number of problem gamblers since the 1999 survey, the government is still considering action to tackle the problem.
It is considering the introduction of an addict tax on gambling companies to help those in debt because of their online gambling.
Culture Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said, “While the results show that problem gambling still only affects a small minority of people, it remains a serious issue and one which must be addressed.”
“I have therefore asked the Gambling Commission to review the current voluntary arrangements for industry funding of gambling research, treatment and public education. I expect the commission’s review to include comment on funding levels, how the money is spent, and whether a statutory levy should be considered.”




