Good morning. About 60% of the UK gambling industry’s profits come from 5% of gamblers. A 2018 Gambling Commission audit estimated that there were more than 50,000 problem gamblers aged under 18. And since the government first put out a call for evidence on its proposed industry reforms in December 2020, the campaign group Clean Up Gambling estimates that more than £13bn has been lost online.
That provides some of the context for why critics of the industry say the reforms that were finally announced in a much-delayed government white paper yesterday are so urgently needed – and why they still think that a further wait for their implementation will mean that more gambling addicts will die.
