The NHS is currently facing an increasing wave of gambling-related ill health, as more and more gambling addicts are being admitted to hospitals.
According to NHS estimates, more than 400,000 individuals in England are addicted to gambling and a further two million are at risk of developing the condition.
New data indicate a record number of hospital admissions in the past year related to gambling addiction. Within a span of six years, the number of gambling-related hospital admissions has risen from 150 to 321. The number of young individuals affected by gambling-related harm has also increased. Forty-six individuals aged <25 years attended a hospital as a result of their addiction last year, compared with 37 in the previous year. There has been a three-fold increase in cases of 'pathological gambling' in the last 12 months. In the past year, 171 patients were admitted to a hospital for pathological gambling.
Owing to the steady rise in gambling-related admissions, the NHS has agreed to launch 14 new problem gambling clinics by 2023-2024. Claire Murdoch, National Mental Health Director for the NHS, said: "Our NHS is fighting back against a rising tide of gambling-related ill health as more people than ever before are being egged-on by shameless gambling firms not just to take a chance with their money, but with their health too."
