The Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT) organization have been up in arms as of late following what they say are a range of recent reports regarding the numbers of young people facing problematic gambling habits and other addictions throughout the UK only acting to overstate and exaggerate the overall problem. The organization’s claim comes in the wake of a recent review published that looked at the incidence of problematic gambling among young adults in the UK as well as a number of other countries such as Australia, the US, the Nordic countries and New Zealand.
According to the statistics published in the report, which was publicized by the UK Gambling Commission, between ten and fourteen percent of young people throughout the country are at serious risk of developing problems with gambling, and another five to seven percent were defined by the report as problem gamblers with serious addiction problems already. The studies mentioned in the report that were looked at by the commission labeled young people as anyone under 18 years old, and in the wake of the report’s publication the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK latched on to the percentage and made the allegation that almost one million British young people had a serious problem related to their gambling addiction, using the higher percentage mentioned in the report to estimate just how prevalent rates of youth problem gambling was in the UK.
Despite this Ron Finlay, a spokesperson for the RIGT, rapidly pointed out that although the headline figures might on first glance seem to be alarming to many they actually overstate the true extent of the issue at hand. Mr. Finlay restated that the report offered by the Gambling Commission was, primarily, ‘a literature review’, meaning that because of this it contained no actual new primary research.
He also commented that as the report also detailed and examined data from other counties that have different laws and regulations pertaining to gambling from Britain the overall publication could not give a truly accurate representation of the issue in this country. Mr. Finaly went on to state that there exists a strong network of help and support for those youngsters that do have such problems, and such networks can provide them with education, guidance and counseling needed to overcome such an addition should they develop one.
RIGT promotes nationwide educational programs in schools and helps to fund organizations and charities that go to school to talk to pupils about issues such as gambling, smoking and the use of recreational drugs. On top of this Gamcare’s marketing director, Eileen Kinghan, stated that her organization offers a range of support services to young people who are worried in particular about their own gambling habits, especially through a telephone helpline that is manned by trained counselors able to give informed advice. The organization also runs face-to-face counseling as needed, as well as online chartrooms where young people are able share their experiences and get further advice.
