Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to support people with a gambling addiction.

We published the Review of Gambling Machines and Social Responsibility Measures in May. This set out measures to strengthen protections around gaming machines, including cutting the maximum stake on B2 machine from £100 to £2, online gambling, and gambling advertising. It also set out action on treatment and support for those who experience harm, including initiatives to improve the evidence on treatment needs and effectiveness, expand access to existing services and strengthen the voluntary system for funding support. Government has also encouraged industry to increase its funding for third sector initiatives to support people with a gambling addiction.

GambleAware, an independent charity, commissions treatment services, including the National Gambling Helpline and counselling services, specialist treatment delivered by the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic and the Gordon Moody Association. GambleAware aims to triple access to its treatment services across the country and recently announced the establishment of a further specialist NHS clinic and Problem Gambling Support team in Leeds.

As demonstrated by the report Gambling Behaviour in Great Britain 2016, which is based on the combined Health Surveys, there is an association between mental health and problem or risky gambling behaviour. Some problem gamblers will therefore access support through services for other addictions and mental health conditions. The National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) has been commissioned to explore developing a guideline on non-chemical addictions, including gambling, which would give support to clinicians seeking to support problem gamblers.