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In news highlighted in this BBC Health article, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended that GPs and other healthcare professionals in England should help identify potential gambling addiction in the same way they look for smoking and alcohol addiction. These harms extend to include health, finances, and people around the patient – including family and local community.
In efforts to curb gambling addiction, the UK Gambling Commission announced significant updates to online gambling rules. Starting in January 2025, stricter financial checks are mandatory for high-spending players, with the threshold for these checks decreasing from £500 to £150 in February 2025. Additionally, from January 2025, marketing communications to customers without explicit consent will be prohibited.
As referrals have increased, the NHS has doubled the number of clinics to accommodate demand: sites in Milton Keynes, Thurrock, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Blackpool, and Sheffield were added in 2023. They are expected to treat about 3,000 people a year, including access to psychologists and psychiatrists and support for family and friends.
The same NHS article outlines how the UK Gambling Commission estimates around 0.3% of the population (approximately 138,000 people), are problem gamblers, with an additional 2.9% (1.3 million people) engaging in moderate or low-risk gambling. Recent data indicates a rise in individuals seeking help, with around 1,400 patients referred for gambling-related issues in the 2022/23 period, an increase of more than a third compared to the previous year. The Times reported how NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has identified one in 40 British adults who gamble problematically, with a further 12% at increased risk.
NICE also wants those working in mental health and social services to ask about gambling, especially when speaking to those with depression and anxiety or previous issues with other addictions, self-harm or suicidal thoughts. Those at increased risk may also have other diagnoses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
It’s clear that demand for addiction treatment is in high demand, and as patients wait for referrals to NHS clinics, many patients – or family members of patients – are exploring the opportunity to seek private providers to speed up the recovery process.
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