UK committee to hear evidence on gambling-related harm

The committee will hear input from various experts on gambling-related harmLawmakers continue to collect feedback to strengthen safeguardsThe committee will analyze how public health response can improve

The Health and Social Care Select Committee will convene on Wednesday, April 2, at 9:30 am to hear evidence presented by various experts in the field of gambling-related harm and addiction.

Lawmakers to hear more evidence on gambling-related harm

The committee will hear the available evidence about how gambling-related harm affects individuals and what can be done to mount a more effective public health response to the issue.

Lawmakers will use the opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field and continue to advance the necessary framework that will eventually lead to better consumer protections across the board. The session comes at a time when gambling in England has reached an estimated 25m people, as per data for 2023.

Specifically, lawmakers will focus on the role of public health teams within local authority services to reduce the potential for gambling-related harm. They will also question the experts whether the current safeguards sufficiently and adequately address specific issues such as protecting vulnerable consumers and children.

The witnesses attending the Wednesday sessions, include individual researchers as well as regulatory and health representatives:

Professor Sam Chamberlain, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Southampton and Director of the Southern Gambling Treatment ClinicProfessor Heather Wardle, Co-Chair Lancet Public Health Commission on Gambling and Professor of Gambling Research and Policy, University of GlasgowLucy Hubber, Director of Public Health in Nottingham, Association of Directors of Public HealthProfessor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, National Clinical Advisor on Gambling HarmsAndrew Vereker, Deputy Director for Tobacco, Alcohol and Gambling, Office for Health Improvement and DisparitiesTim Miller, Executive Director of Research and Policy, Gambling Commission

The United Kingdom has continued to move towards an industry that is better tailored to the needs of the most vulnerable consumers. Part of these efforts comes with the introduction of a statutory levy, which will be applied to gambling operators from this month onward.

The levy should help raise more funds for independent research, treatment options, and other activities tied to lessening gambling-related harm and helping protect people’s well-being. Previously, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a guidance, urging GPs to ask patients about their gambling habits as part of their routine questions about smoking and drinking.