The recent Labour campaign against gambling addiction is raging on, with another proposal having been made by the parliament party. They request the introduction of a gambling tax specifically designed to help fund NHS treatment for betting addicts.
UK Numbers Raise Concern
According to the Times, Tom Watson, the Deputy party leader, is expected to say at the Labour Party conference today: “The next Labour government will finally confront problem gambling. Some gambling companies, driven by greed, are deliberately targeting our poorest communities even as hundreds of thousands of lives are ruined by addiction. Children and young people are being targeted more than ever. Gambling companies are even harvesting data to deliberately target low-income gamblers and people who have given up gambling. More than half of companies profit from ‘risk’ gamblers. This has to stop. Gambling companies must be held to account for this abuse of trust and power.”
Labour wants to impose a compulsory levy on the industry to fund treatment. At the present time betting firms make voluntary contributions to the GambleAware charity.
UKGC refers that about 430,000 Britons have a serious gambling habit, corresponding to an alarming increase of 33%, during the last three years.