Plenary 18/03/15
Debate on GAMBLING

Janet Finch-Saunders
How refreshing to have a debate brought here today on a subject that is becoming a problem in society and yet has been very little talked about in this Chamber. Almost 2 per cent of the adult males in England and Wales can be classified as pathological gamblers, and it is now estimated that 24,000 people are addicted to gambling, costing Welsh punters £1.6 billion a year. But of particular concern is the increase in fixed-odds machines. The Campaign for Fairer Gambling recently revealed that people across north Wales pump more than £284 million into these, labelling them as the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling. High-stakes gaming machines cost £675 for every Welsh adult a year. Recent figures by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling revealed that residents in my own constituency of Aberconwy pumped £27.8 million into betting terminals alone, resulting in a loss of £1.3 million.
These machines can take up to £100 a minute and the studies suggest that bookmakers have been capitalising on people’s misfortune and vulnerability by targeting those areas of deprivation and high unemployment. The report contrasts constituencies with the highest unemployment, which have 1,351 betting shops, with just 325 in areas with the lowest unemployment. The campaign has called for restrictions to be enforced on fixed-odds betting terminals to reduce the amount of machines per shop from four to one and reduce the maximum stake from £100 to just £2. I just wonder whether the Minister can actually do anything on that.
Gambling addictions cause tough emotional, financial and psychological issues, and, as Bethan Jenkins said, are not always easily identifiable. As well as spending wages and savings, it is common for debt levels to rise as a result of gamblers borrowing and even taking out loans to cover their losses—a point that Kirsty made. Gamblers have a tendency to stay away from school, college or work and, due to their preoccupation with gambling, many compulsive gamblers find it difficult to maintain sustainable relationships.
There are some range of therapies out there and cognitive behavioural therapy, which can be used to tackle the condition. But this addiction can be just as devastating as alcohol and drug dependency. A constituent of mine summed up how his problem with gambling had left him feeling—‘hollow, desolated and dejected’. In 2013, Dr Bowden-Jones, head of the National Problem Gambling Clinic in Soho said that the Welsh Government should set up a clinic in Wales to deal with people who were pathological gamblers. She called on the Welsh Government to recognise the need for treatment as a mental illness, claiming that, through treatment at the clinic, six months on from treatment, over 80 per cent of people they see are not gambling anymore.
Another constituent had, by his own admission, neglected his family and home and he informed me that he cared little for anything other than gambling. He was sincere in his commitment to beating his addiction, yet the closest Gamblers Anonymous meeting to him was in Chester. I couldn’t get any funding for him to actually help with transport costs, so he was unable to attend; thereby, the last time I spoke to him, he was so determined to be cured that he is actually now moving out of Wales. That is terrible.
Early identification and support is essential if addiction is to be avoided. I do believe that it is the duty of the Welsh Government to engage with the gambling industry and the Responsible Gambling Trust and ensure that assistance is accessible to people in every corner of Wales. Thank you to the individual Members for bringing this forward.