I have made calls for new action to reduce the harm caused by gambling in the city.
My proposals were sent in response to the consultation on Brighton and Hove City Council’s draft Gambling Policy for 2025-27.
In my submission, I requested a meeting with local councillors to discuss possible areas of joint work and proposed a range of actions the council should take to reduce the harm done by gambling in Brighton and Hove, including: [1]
>> A ‘one in one out’ policy for gambling premises in the city, with further reductions if problem gambling increases.
>> A local ban on the advertising of gambling on every billboard, bus stop, and any other ‘outdoor’ advertising sites within the city, including on buses.
>> More data collection locally to measure the harm being done to vulnerable people and children.
>> Work with MPs and other councils to push for a country-wide ban on gambling company advertising, plus restrictions on sports sponsorship.
>> An end to the exception made for sports broadcasts in enforcing the watershed on TV advertising for gambling companies.
In the response, I say:
“We have clear evidence that gambling harms are increasing. We have a large number of the gambling establishments in the city and, along with the large amount of advertising that takes place for the major bookmakers and – increasingly – high street slot machine outlets, these premises create a real risk of harm to those who already have problems with gambling, and to children and wider society.
“In addition, advertising for online gambling is also prevalent in the city, and it is common for adults and children to see these adverts online as well. As a licensing authority with a duty to work towards the protection of: “children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling,” the council should be seeking to reduce all kinds of harm in every way it can.”
Recent data has shown that problem gambling may be much more prevalent than previously estimated. Using new methodology, surveys from Public Health England show that 2.5 per cent of adults responding scored 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), compared with less than half a per cent previously. [2]
Based on the Office for National Statistics’ latest population estimates, this would imply that over one million adults in Great Britain are now problem gamblers and, if the same proportion holds here, more than 5,000 adults in Brighton and Hove.
The National Gambling Helpline also hit record-breaking service levels in 2023, receiving more calls and online chats than any previous year. A total of 52,370 calls and online chats were made to the Helpline, a 24 per cent increase compared with the year before, and August 2023 was the busiest month on record. December 2023 also saw a 39 per cent increase compared with the same month the year before, and this was the busiest Christmas period ever recorded by the helpline.
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