Premier League football clubs should do more to tackle gambling addiction, says NHS chief
'Taxpayers should not be left to pick up the pieces,' says Simon Stevens
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Premier league football clubs must do more to tackle gambling addiction, the head of NHS England Simon Stevens has said.
The chief executive described compulsive gambling as one of the “new threats” facing the NHS and warned the already overstretched health service is being left to “pick up the pieces” from gambling-related mental health issues.
Reports foreign gambling problems were “failing to play their part” in funding treatment for the public health issue were “deeply concerning”, he told a conference in Manchester.
Although betting companies who reap profits Britain are encouraged to contribute a total of £10m to addiction treatments, a number of firms who sponsor Premier League clubs have yet to pay up this financial year, according to a July report in the The Sunday Times.
Speaking at the Health and Care Innovation Expo, Mr Stevens said: “There is an increasing link between problem gambling and stress, depression and other mental health problems.
“Doctors report that two thirds of problem gamblers get worse without help and the NHS does offer specialist treatment.
“But reports that foreign gambling companies are failing to play their part in co-funding help for addicts are deeply concerning.
“Taxpayers and the NHS should not be left to pick up the pieces the health of the nation is everyone’s responsibility.
“The NHS will now work with the Premiership on how we persuade these foreign gambling companies to do the right thing.”
Mr Stevens said the NHS needs to get “more serious about aspects of prevention in public health, including what you might call ‘the new public health”’, with an estimated 430,000 people in the UK dealing with a gambling problem.
“One of the things, if we’re serious about prevention, that we need to do – we need to be getting on to the Premier League and asking them to ensure that those foreign gambling firms are playing their part,” he told the audience.
Around 370,000 11 to 16-year-olds spent their money on gambling in the course of one week in England, Scotland and Wales, according to a report published by the Gambling Commission last year.
The regulator estimated that 25,000 were problem gamblers.
Press Association contributed to this report
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments