The APPG conducted a year-long inquiry into the effects of problem gambling, taking evidence from a wide range of sources, including a submission from Headway and brain injury survivor, George*, who gambled away over £200,000 following his brain injury.
In response to George’s* case the APPG stated: “We would like to see online gambling operators treat such cases more sympathetically and return money in cases where money was clearly gambled when it should not have been. Gambling operators should also simplify their terms and conditions so that vulnerable adults are better able to understand them.”
The APPG also called for an outright ban on all gambling advertising and an improved mechanism for self-exclusion, which many people have found ineffective.
Commenting on the report, The Rt. Hon. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Vice Chair of the APPG, said: “We cannot continue with the current lack of regulation for the online industry. We have an industry that is profiteering from vulnerable people gambling more than they can afford.”
Headway has been campaigning for stricter online gambling protocols and called for raised awareness of the danger it poses to brain injury survivors.
Responding to the APPG’s report, Headway Deputy Chief Executive, Luke Griggs said: “It is encouraging to see more than 50 MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum agree that work is needed to tackle the problems associated with online gambling.
“The complexities of brain injury can lead to survivors being more vulnerable to the addictive nature of gambling. A brain injury can leave survivors prone to risk-taking behaviours and impaired reasoning, while a lack of insight can make it difficult for them to accept they have a gambling problem. The introduction of stronger measures to better protect them from the high-risk world of online gambling is long overdue.
“This multi-billion industry can, and must, do so much more to protect vulnerable people like brain injury survivors from the often devastating consequences that problem gambling can inflict on people. The resources are there, the technology is there – all that seems to be missing is the will.
“Without the commitment of the gambling industry to make meaningful change, it is crucial that the government take heed of this report and take stronger action without further delay.”Back
