Are the holidays, and holiday bonus promotions from sportsbooks and online casinos, a major trigger for problem gambling? That’s the message being sent out by England’s National Health Service (NHS). Earlier this week the agency sent out a warning about a potential upsurge of holiday-related problem gambling and a plea for more resources to help fight the issue.
In recent times the NHS has seen a surge of referrals for problem gambling and has upped its resources for getting problem gamblers back on their feet. There are currently 15 clinics in England offering treatment for problem gamblers, but it’s still not enough to meet a surging demand. NHS officials point out that between and April and September of 2024 they referred 2000 patients to problem gambling treatment. That’s up considerably from the 800 that were referred for treatment during that same period in 2023.
Dr Matt Gaskell, head of the NHS Northern Gambling Service pointed out the twin dangers of holiday gambling promotions and problem gamblers flush with holiday gift cash in a recent NHs press release. “People may receive extra money as gifts or bonuses during the holiday period, or find that money is short, and could be tempted to place a bet, and end up betting more than they intended.”
“I have seen first-hand at my clinic how the festive period can lead to additional gambling harms. If you’re worried about how gambling is affecting you, I urge you to please come forward to our clinics by self-referring or speak to your GP practice,” he added.
The NHS estimates that there are around 138,000 problem gamblers in England, with an additional 1.3 million people engaging in moderately risky gambling behaviors.