A leading Church of England Bishop has warned that Britain is facing a generational time bomb as more and more children become used to gambling.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, The Bishop of St Albans, Alan Smith, said that the problem is being fueled by the popularity of online games like Fortnite which allow you to gamble without money.

The Bishop added that the problem was made worse because children are being "bombarded" by gambling advertising which makes gambling seem like harmless fun.

Combined together, the Rt Rev Smith said these two factors mean that like Pavlov's dogs, children are being conditioned to gamble (Pavlov's dogs refers to an experiment which showed dogs can be trained to anticipate food at the sound of a bell, even if no food is then provided).

Thanks to a legal loophole, games that involve gambling but not monetary prizes fall outside the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005.

Research from the Gambling Commission suggests that 370,000 young people aged between 11-16 years old gamble weekly.

There are also thought to be 25,000 children who are addicted to gambling or who suffer from gambling-related conditions. A further 36,000 are at risk of becoming addicted.

According to the Bishop, some experts believe we are in the early stages of a gambling epidemic, driven in part by the sheer volume of betting ads, especially around sporting events.

The Bishop of St Alban went on to argue that the loophole in the Gambling Act must be closed and a compulsory betting levy for the UK and offshore firms should be introduced.

CARE’s Communications Manager, James Mildred said: “Hundreds of thousands of children and young people gamble each week across Britain.

“We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to these issues.

“The Bishop of St Albans makes some excellent suggestions as to what the Government could be doing and we would urge the Government to engage with his points.”

CARE recently spoke out on the number of betting logos on football shirts as the new Premier League and Sky Bet Championship gets under way, with members of the team speaking to Premier, BBC Nottingham, BBC Merseyside and BBC Suffolk.