A report on a public health approach to gambling regulations released by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICE) advocates reining in gaming advertising and adding gambling harm education to the school curriculum.
Noting that gambling advertisement may be a subject covered by the reforms envisioned by the U.K.’s updating of the Gambling Act Review, the report states that there are “few mandatory or legal restrictions on gambling advertisements.”
Data the report gathered last year found that 0.4 percent of those who responded were problem gamblers, and 6 percent were found to be at risk to gambling harm. It advocates paying the same attention to gambling harms as harms wrought by alcohol, drugs and tobacco.
It says, “A similar approach could be taken to reduce gambling harms to individuals, families, communities and society using evidence to inform policy and health measures.”
The report advocates four measures to fight gambling harm: education through public information campaigns, followed by school education programs for children, restriction of gambling advertising and promotions and limiting access.
It concedes that the latter is difficult due to the ubiquity and easy access to online gambling. It posits that raising the minimum could restrict access, but adds that evidence for the effectiveness of this approach “is lacking.”
