In the government’s crackdown on gambling, bookies are quids in

Editorial: The publication of the government’s proposals to reform gambling is welcome but they are too modest to do more than ameliorate the damage

28 April 2023 (Dave Brown)

Of all the social evils, it is gambling that is both the most insidious and the most scandalously ignored by government.

According to the most recent Gambling Commission figures, there are some 50,000 problem child gamblers in Britain; and a further 70,000 regarded as being at risk.

The publication of the government’s proposals to reform gambling is welcome, albeit long overdue; but they are too modest to do more than ameliorate the damage the present permissive gambling regime does to individuals, families, communities and public services such as the NHS and police who have to pick up the pieces.