Shocking report finds 45,000 in Sheffield ‘experiencing the harms from gambling’
It includes partners, relatives and children of people struggling with gambling addiction
As many as 45,000 people, including children, in Sheffield have been affected by gambling harms, a new report says.
Sheffield Council’s strategy and resources policy committee will be asked to approve the city’s very first “Gambling Harms Prevention Strategy for Sheffield 2024-2034” as to prevent and reduce the harms from gambling.
A report published ahead of the meeting explained that as many as one in twelve people in the UK – that is around 5.5 million individuals – may be experiencing the harms of gambling.
This number is approximately 45,000 in Sheffield.
Those being affected by gambling are not necessarily those gambling – these individuals can be partners and spouses, children affected by a parent’s gambling and parents affected by a child’s gambling.
The report says: “The harms from gambling are many and varied and include negative impacts on mental health, physical health, relationships, finances and housing.
“There is a link between suicide and gambling with deaths from suicide significantly higher in those experiencing gambling harms.”
Gambling harms also cost a lot of money to society and our communities, figures show.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities estimates that the annual economic burden of gambling harms in England is £1.05 to £1.77 billion a year.
Sheffield accounts for roughly one per cent of this – this burden in Sheffield is estimated at as much as £17.7 million a year.
These estimates, the author of the report noted, comprise the costs to health, homelessness, crime, unemployment and education, “however these figures are likely to be under-estimates as they do not take into account of the full range of harms from gambling”.
Sheffield’s new strategy will aim to:
Reduce exposure to gambling products, recognising the unfair distribution of gambling harms.
Improve identification and recognition of gambling harms.
Protect children and young people from gambling industry products and practices.
Influence the regulatory environment to make prevention a priority.
And provide effective treatment.
More on this will be discussed at 2pm next Wednesday (February 19) at Sheffield Town Hall.