A general distrust of gambling operations is causing more Britons to shun the National Lottery and other legal gambling in the UK, according to a national study by the UK Gambling Commission. And soon thereafter, a scandal involved the Responsible Gaming Trust, the nation’s leading problem gambling treatment organization.
The 2015 study of gambling trends in the UK indicates a 12 percent drop in gambling participation in recent years, down from 57 percent of Britons in 2012 to 45 percent in 2015. Only those respondents who said they gambled during the prior four weeks were counted among active gamblers.
The study is intended to help national gaming regulators better assess the state of gaming in the UK and identify potential problem areas need regulatory oversight.
“It’s vital that we monitor gambling trends and behavior across society. Reports such as these are essential for us when developing regulations and for the government when developing public policies on gambling,” Gambling Commission Program Director Paul Hope said.
The 2015 study indicates Britons generally do not trust the gambling industry, with a record-low 39 percent of respondents saying they trust the gambling industry. Among those who gambled in the past 12 months, only 45 indicating they trust the gambling industry.
The Gambling Commission speculated that recent reports of match fixing and extensive media coverage of how fixed-odds betting terminals promote problem gambling, among other possible causes, likely is driving the reduction gambling participation ad loss of confidence in gaming operators.
The Gambling Commission queried 4,000 UK citizens by telephone and 8,000 online to compile its 2015 gambling report.
The study also found males remain more likely to have a gambling problem than women, and about 15 percent of Britons participate in online and mobile gaming.
Meanwhile, Responsible Gambling Trust is the UK’s leading charity devoted to gambling, but faces conflict of interest claims after awarding a lucrative contract to a senior executive’s husband.
Jonathan Parke owns Sophro Ltd., which received a large contract to conduct research intended to examine problem gambling online. Parke is an expert in gambling self-regulation and is a consultant for the gambling industry.
His wife Jane Rigbye is the trust’s director, and the award raised eyebrows among some, despite Parke’s academic credentials. The trust has been accused of disregarding research suggesting online gambling and betting machines can be very addictive and are leading causes of problem gambling.
The UK has more than 500,000 problem gamblers, and calls to gambling help lines surged by a third during the past year.
If the trust’s research reports are biased, some UK lawmakers have called for the trust to be dissolved and its funding used elsewhere.
Rigbye denies any wrongdoing and says there is no conflict of interest, as she is not in charge of research commissioning, but gambling opponents have called for her removal.
Responding to the accusations, the trust said it “has robust procedures in place and we are a fully independent charity committed to minimizing gambling-related harm. Our research committee is chaired by Professor Jo Wolff and oversees all research matters.”
Responsible Gambling Trust Chair Neil Goulden also announced his retirement amid the uproar, after the Guardian in early February revealed he cautioned the UK gaming industry faced a significant threat from the anti-gaming lobby.
With accusations of conflicts of interest and its chair resigning after making controversial statements, The Times reports the Charity Commission is preparing evidence and might call for a formal investigation into the trust’s relationship with bookmakers and others involved in the gaming.
The commission said it will review findings before deciding whether to pursue a formal investigation.
