Compulsive gamblers should be treated on NHS, say doctors

16 January 2007

As reported by: The Guardian
Compulsive gambling should be recognised as an addiction that requires treatment on the NHS, doctors leaders said yesterday, as they warned of a sharp increase in problem betting.
The "explosion" in internet betting sites and the overhaul of the gambling laws, which comes into force in September, means the number of people who gamble is expected to escalate.

But GPs receive no training in how to spot gamblers and are probably unaware of them, according to a hard-hitting report by doctors at the British Medical Association (BMA), which anticipates a "very significant rise in problem gambling".

Many addiction services fail to screen people for gambling, and even when the problem is recognised there is "almost no treatment", says the BMA's board of science in the report.

It also calls on the £9bn gaming industry to contribute at least £10m a year for treatment. And in a separate report, police warned that planned supercasinos would cause an escalation in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Doctors should screen patients being treated for other addictions, such as smoking or alcohol, and should question whether children known to play truant also have gambling problems.


Article By: The Guardian

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