Bereaved Sheffield dad: "staggering" number of young people addicted to gambling

Charles Ritchie's son Jack took his own life because of a betting problem

Author: Ben BasonPublished 14th May 2021

A Sheffield campaigner, who lost his son to a gambling addiction, tells us it's "staggering" just how many young people are getting hooked.

Charles Ritchie's 24 year old son Jack took his own life after battling a serious issue with fixed odds betting machines.

New stats show hundreds of young people have contacted the National Gambling Helpline in the past three years - 70% of whom had a problem themselves.

And campaigners say the pandemic has made the problem even worse.

Charles tells us it's a huge problem:

"One in five young people have got an addiction, which is a staggeringly high rate. It is much higher than the rate among adults. It's an incredibly dangerous activity for young people and that message is hidden. There are no major warnings about the mental health risks associated with gambling.

"Gambling is promoted as just a fun activity. We're bombarded with gambling ads which portray it as this fun activity that you do with your mates, you win a bit of money, it's all a bit of a laugh. There is no indication of just how dangerous an activity this is."

GamCare says, of the 353 under 18s who contacted the National Gambling Helpline over the last three years, 71.5% were deemed to have a gambling problem.

And the vast majority (77%) take place online.

Charles, who has set up a charity called Gambling With Lives since Jack's death, says the activity online has become even more of a worry during lockdown:

"While obviously bookmakers and physical venues have closed, there has been a huge increase in the amount of people accessing gambling online. There are a lot of young people who are gambling now online who were not before the pandemic.

"The move into addiction is incredibly rapid. So what starts as a bit of fun ends up as being a catastrophic lifelong consequence for many young people."

Anna Hemmings is Chief Executive of GamCare:

"Since lockdown, we've not only heard stories from our helpline that reveal young people are increasingly experiencing more parental gambling but there is also rising concern for potential harms to young people who gamble themselves

"It's been an extremely difficult year for young people, with many using the internet and social media not only to be in touch with friends, but also as a form of escapism.

"This makes it harder for parents to tell when their child might be displaying unhealthy behaviours, as often the symptoms, such as being withdrawn, can be confused with other issues and challenges teenagers face in this difficult period of their lives."

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