Glasgow gambling addicts will be able to 'ban themselves' from bookmakers in new scheme

Gambling addicts in Glasgow worried that their life-wrecking habit is getting out of control will soon be able to ensure they are banned from entering betting shops.

A new ground-breaking scheme will allow gamblers to “exclude themselves” from city centre and other participating bookmakers.

A confidential helpline means gamblers can identify the list of betting shops they don’t want to find themselves in.

Businesses participating in the scheme will then impose a no-go zone for those who have asked to be kept outside.

The confidential scheme, the first of its kind in Scotland, will initially involve 36 betting shops.

If the Glasgow pilot is judged a success, its finding will be incorporated into a similar UK-wide project scheduled to be launched next year.

The scheme delivers self-imposed exclusion mainly from bookmakers close to a problem gambler’s home or workplace.

Previously gamblers have only been able to exclude on a shop-by-shop basis.

Running alongside the self-exclusion scheme will be counselling service designed to aid those with a severe or worsening gambling problem.

The project, initially a three-month pilot, is being organised by participating high street bookmakers, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), and Glasgow City Council.

ABB’s chief executive, Malcolm George, said the self-banning scheme was an important step in helping gamblers in Scotland’s largest city stay in control and also get the help they need.

“High street betting operators want all customers to enjoy their leisure time and gamble responsibly. We also want to help those who may be getting into difficulties. This is a big step forward to achieving that,” he said.

Councillor Paul Rooney, the city’s treasurer and chairman of a cross-party gambling group, said that not enough was known about the impact of problem gamblers on individuals, families and communities.

Some university studies have identified gambling, along with alcohol and drug addiction, as being key forces in the destruction of families, and the root cause of subsequent social breakdown.

Mr Rooney said “By sharing information we hope to offer more effective support for those who are struggling with their gambling but want to bring it under control.”

Gambling is a problem if it’s a compulsive behaviour, where individuals are incapable of controlling how much they gamble.

Although seen as a limited problem when individuals can afford serial betting, the situation in Glasgow will be focused on those cannot afford the sums they lose, with their own lives and the lives of their families on the line.

Group support for gambling addicts can involve the 12-step recovery programme offered by Gamblers Anonymous. This is patterned on the programme established for alcoholics by AA, urging gamblers to experience time away from betting.

Behavioural therapies include teaching gamblers to fight psychological urges and to deal with their emotions by avoiding escaping through betting.

Other cognitive therapies include the four-steps programme aimed at “re-wiring” a gamblers brain.