Yvette Greenway-Mansfield, co-founder and chief executive officer of the charity Silence of Suicide (SOS), has called for UK regulators to begin treating gambling in a way similar to tobacco and make it mandatory for gambling companies to display public health warnings when it comes to betting. This is tied to the recently launched #TIO (Think it over) campaign, which urges the government to introduce additional reforms to gambling law, as the organisation does not consider the prevention and treatment measures outlined in the Gambling White Paper to be sufficient.
In a publication on the Big Issue newspaper’s website, Greenway-Mansfield drew attention to how, last year, up to 496 UK individuals passed away due to suicide linked to gambling, according to estimates. The said figure is sourced from the government’s evidence review on gambling-related harms, which was conducted by Public Health England.
According to the CEO of SOS, although the issue is prominent and linked to how betting shops, online gambling websites, and other forms of gambling have made the practice widely accessible across the UK, “robust plans” that can provide sufficient protection for both children and over-18s have not been made thus far. In addition, she drew attention to the National Lottery, a form of gambling that is often not seen as such, and how it can also be a gateway to addiction for vulnerable individuals. Greenway-Mansfield also emphasised how SOS receives accounts from people impacted by gambling addiction on a daily basis.
SOS is Looking to Prevent Gambling Harm From Claiming More Lives
Greenway-Mansfield sees it crucial for the government to take action, and the thus outlined issues are at the core of SOS’ #TIO (Think it over) petition. The petition calls for a number of measures to be undertaken, the first being the introduction of tight regulations that will prohibit “pervasive betting advertising” and its utilisation to entice individuals to gamble.
The next recommendations have to do with how, according to SOS, all betting should carry public health warnings, and any retail location or website that provides clients with the opportunity to place bets needs to have mental health warnings displayed. Last but not least, the #TIO (Think it over) campaign is proposing for a 10-minute cooling-off period to be implemented, which will be triggered when a customer tries to make a bet. The idea is tied to the campaign’s name, “Think it over,” and aims to give potential bettors the chance to re-consider before their wager is finalised.
Apart from SOS, another charity that is looking to change how the advertisement of gambling is approached in Britain is Gambling With Lives, with its The Big Step campaign having to do with the ties between UK football and gambling. Although last year, the Premier League disclosed its plans to do away with gambling ads displayed on the front of players’ shirts, campaigners do not see this as sufficient and are instead aiming to completely get rid of gambling ads when it comes to football. Moreover, campaigners believe that gambling companies should no longer be permitted to sponsor sport-related competitions either.
- Author
Daniel Williams
