Camden’s licensing team says harm from gambling is on the rise

CONCERNS over how seriously high street bookmakers will treat problem gamblers in the middle of the cost-of-living crisis have been raised by a councillor who used to work for one of the big-name operators.

At a Town Hall discussion on how to protect addicts and those at risk of becoming one, Labour councillor Shah Miah said he had seen up close how firms sought to make sure anybody who won big would end up losing their winnings in the end.

He told Camden Council’s licensing committee he had “for a very short time” worked for a well-known national bookmaker in a betting shop.

“A lot of shops are staffed by one member of staff and they may have 30, 40, 50 people gambling in there,” Cllr Miah said. “With all the best will in the world, they have no time to go and talk to problem gamblers that they witness.”

He added: “Secondly, there is an unofficial policy, although not written down, that when people win large amounts of money, they are essentially encouraged to stay in the shop waiting for money to be transferred from another shop. The longer they wait, the much higher chance there is that they start gambling and losing it. I experienced many times where peoplewon £5,000, £10,000 and within two hours they’ve lost it back while they are waiting for money from another store.”

Camden is tightening its rules on what operators will be expected to do if they want to have outlets in the borough, including showing how they are aware of the dangers for children and recognising problem gamblers and properly showing them how they can get help.

Kilburn High Road has previously been seen as one of Camden’s hotspots and dubbed the “bookmakers’ mile” because it had more than eight betting shops.

Cllr Shah Miah said there were ‘unwritten rules’ for staff in betting shops

Another committee member, Labour councillor Matt Cooper, said he was concerned that a report detailing the changing guidelines did not say more on a connection with substance abuse.

He said: “In Camden, alcohol and drugs are quite a big part of the economy and quite a significant factor in any decision around policing or licensing, especially in places like Camden Town. We don’t want someone knocking them back at the ’Spoons in the morning and then rocking up to a bookies, but that doesn’t seem to be considered as a situation that could happen.”

William Sasu, Camden’s public protection and licensing manager, said that other licensing policies addressed these risks and added, in response to Cllr Miah, that “spot check visits” would be made at betting shops.

“Management of these premises need to be brought up to speed in terms of the risk of their operation,” he said. “Like you said, unwritten protocols that they have can be quite different from what they have presented to us. There will be more engagement with us to ensure what they have said to us on paper is what actually happens.”

The discussion was set against warnings that more and more people are making the mistake of trying to win money to pay bills amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Mr Sasu told the meeting last Wednesday: “The rise in cost-of-living has led to an increase in gambling harms amongst those who gamble… it is a known fact that one in 10 of people who gamble have already reported turning to gambling as a way of supplementing their household income.”

Mr Sasu said a large amount of the rise in gambling in recent months and years was seen online and this was solely regulated by the Gambling Commission, but added that officers from Camden had “highlighted ­concerns” to it.

He said the council’s trading standards were working on reports that instant loan shops were facilitating betting in nearby branches. Details of the government’s long-awaited gambling bill were released last month and include a levy on betting firms to pay for treatment of addiction, player protection checks and stake ­limits for online slots.

At the end of last year, the Pentonville Road based charity Betknowmore warned that people struggling to keep up with payments were resorting to betting.

Frankie Graham, its founder, told our sister newspaper, the Islington Tribune: “If you have a tendency to have a belief that gambling is your way to supplement your income, there is always going to be risk there. If you’ve got someone who is struggling to pay their rent at the moment, a heating bill or shopping or other basic essentials, they may say: ‘right, I need £30 to get this bill paid – I’ll go online and that’s what I’ll try and win’.”

He added: “A lot of the marketing, particularly in terms of the lottery – it’s presented to you as a life-changing opportunity, The role of gambling is presented to us as an opportunity to change our lives and give us a better standard of living.”

Mr Graham, himself a former gambler, added: “If you look at all the advertising now, it really does highlight people gambling in groups, gambling as a social thing… and that’s not my experience of gambling. My experience of gambling is going into a betting shop and feeling completely alone.”

GamCare offers free information, support and counselling for people who have problems with gambling in the UK. It runs the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) and also offers face-to-face counselling. The helpline is free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.