#problem-gambling

#problem-gambling

The boss of the UK's main betting and gaming lobby group has told MPs that there is no social ill with gambling as she warned against imposing higher taxes on the sector in the November budget. Grainne Hurst, the chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, repeatedly made the statement to parliament's Treasury select committee on Tuesday, where she also claimed that higher taxes would result in thousands of job losses and push punters into using hidden market services.

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An estimated 1.4 million adults in Great Britain have a gambling problem, according to landmark figures released days after the chancellor hinted at increasing taxes on the 11.5bn industry. The Gambling Commission's annual survey found that 2.7% of adults scored 8 or above on the problem gambling severity index, a widely accepted measure analysing negative consequences of betting. In previous years, the watchdog had warned against extrapolating that percentage to the general population.