Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

Ministers were last night accused of ignoring calls for an advertising drive
on the dangers of problem gambling outlined in one of their own reports. The
Scottish Executive last year published a weighty investigation into the
social costs of the rise and rise of the gaming industry. The report,
written by Glasgow University academic Gerda Reith, made clear
recommendations on the need for a public awareness campaign on the scale of
the executive's public warnings on smoking, drinking and drugs. Dr Reith
yesterday demanded to know why her advice had been ignored. "I always assume
that when a report comes out there will be some action. When that doesn't
happen - when there is not even any debate - you feel people are not paying
the right kind of attention. "The important thing that came out of the
report is that problem gambling is very difficult to treat when it becomes
pathological. An awareness campaign would prevent a lot of money being spent
in the long term on treatment." Dr Reith's report, Research on the Social
Impact of Gambling, was published by the executive last September as Glasgow
forged ahead with its failed bid to host Britain's only supercasino. But she
believes the debate on gambling has focused far too much on a single venue -
the supercasino will now be in Manchester - and neglected other far more
accessible ways for would-be punters to have a flutter. Casinos account for
just 3% of betting.
Slot machines or fixed-odds betting terminals have mushroomed in pubs, clubs
and betting shops in recent years, with jackpots far bigger than the change
that used to spill out of old-time "puggies" or one-armed bandits. Online
gambling is thought to be growing fast too. Dr Reith does not oppose
betting. She simply believes the public, who, especially after the gradual
liberalisation brought in since the National Lottery was launched in 1994,
need to know of its potential dangers. Crucially, public information
campaigns, she argues, have helped reduce the social costs of increased
gambling elsewhere. She added: "The supercasino has been a bit of a
distraction from the real debate. There will, after all, only be one of
them." The executive, meanwhile, stressed gaming laws were the
responsibility of Westminster, not Holyrood. Its spokeswoman focused largely
on the prospect of a supercasino, despite Dr Reith regarding that debate as
something of a sideshow.
The spokeswoman said: "If any future new casino development was to be
located in Scotland, we will monitor the impacts of such a development very
carefully.

"Gambling law, and therefore the public communication of those laws, is a
reserved area of responsibility."

Shona Robison, the SNPs spokeswoman on health, yesterday saw no reason why a
public education campaign, or even a national strategy on problem gambling,
should not be launched in Scotland just because Westminster was in charge of
the licensing regime.

She said: "Dr Reith's report made clear recommendations.

"It's disappointing the executive has chosen to treat it with disregard. It
is just passing the back to make it Westminster's responsibility."