The UK’s Association of Directors of Public Health, or ADPH, has released a statement that outlines their recommendations for the future of UK iGaming. The statement lays out the idea of changing current UK law, including a ban on what the ADPH deems “high risk” gambling products.
Exactly what the ADPH thinks deems a gambling product has high risk is not clear, however it does say that the aim of this change in UK law is designed to protect UK gamblers.
As explained by the ADPH: “Gambling harms already reflect social and health inequalities; with potential to affect anyone but with greater harm where there is increasing vulnerability in terms of mental health, income deprivation, age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Anyone may be vulnerable to gambling harm at some point in their lives. What we have a present is a gambling policy system and industry that creates, exacerbates, and exploits vulnerabilities, counter to the government’s duty to protect the health and wellbeing of everyone.”
“Public Health England’s review findings on the scale of the issue concluded that 0.5% of our population were gambling at a problem level, with 7% of the UK population negatively affected by gambling.
“This equates to over 4 million people in England and over 5 million people across the UK; 1 in 12 people are either directly or indirectly affected by gambling-related harms. The distribution of these negative impacts is unjust and unfair, with the greatest burden and risk of harmful gambling being experienced by socio-economically deprived, disadvantaged and minority groups.”
Find the full ADPH statement here.
