Problem gamblers 15 times more likely to commit suicide
Gambling
People who have a gambling addiction are 15 times more likely to take their own lives, according to the largest ever study of its kind.
The new research has prompted immediate calls for action from the Government to confront the UK’s growing gambling epidemic.
Academics at Lund University in Sweden looked at more than 2,000 people with gambling disorders and found an elevated risk of suicide compared with the general population over an 11 year period.
Suicide rates were actually 19 times higher among men aged between 20 and 49, and 15 times higher among men and women of all ages.
If you apply the same results to the UK, the Swedish study suggests there would be around 550 suicides a year in which gambling played a part – more than 10 a week.
It is interesting to note that Northern Ireland has a gambling prevalence rate four times higher than in England.
According to the Samaritans, suicide rates in NI are also higher than in Great Britain.
CARE, who campaigns for better gambling regulations today warned that unless more was done to provide help for problem gamblers, the situation is likely to get worse.
CARE’s spokesperson James Mildred said:
“The fact that men and women with a gambling addiction are 15 times more likely to commit suicide is extremely shocking and this extensive study is a wake-up call for the Government.
“We need to recognise that often the factors behind a suicide are multi-layered, rather than isolated to one particular reason.
“However, given what we know about the scale of problem gambling and the suicide rates in the UK it is absolutely reasonable to draw a link between the two.
“There are estimated to be more than two million adults across Great Britain who have a gambling problem or are at risk of developing one.
“We also know there are thought to be hundreds of thousands of children gambling on a regular basis.
“But shockingly, there is currently only one specialist gambling clinic in the UK to help those with gambling addiction and that’s in London.
“While a second one is possibly opening this year in Leeds, that’s clearly not enough and the lack of help available on the NHS is a major issue.
“We are facing a problem gambling epidemic and if we fail to act, the situation is likely to get far worse.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For interview requests or more information please contact James Mildred: james.mildred@care.org.uk // 07717516814
CARE is a well-established mainstream Christian charity providing resources and helping to bring Christian insight and experience to matters of public policy and practical caring initiatives. CARE is represented in the UK Parliaments and Assemblies.
The study by Lund University in Sweden can be read here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328948933_Gambling_disorder_study
You can see the latest GB and NI suicide statistics from the Samaritans here: https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/research-policy/suicide-facts-and-figures/
A new NHS gambling addiction clinic is due to potentially open in 2019 in Leeds, but this is the only one available outside London: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-46102203
CARE recently welcomed calls from Labour for tougher online gambling regulations: https://care.org.uk/news/latest-news/care-welcomes-labour%E2%80%99s-proposals-online-gambling-limits
The Gambling Commission’s most recent report revealed that the number of child gamblers quadrupled in just two years: https://care.org.uk/news/latest-news/number-child-gamblers-quadruples-just-two-years
The most recent Gambling Commission report into Gambling behaviour across Great Britain also showed that in the UK there are more than 2 million people with a gambling addiction or at risk of developing one: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/survey-data/Gambling-behaviour-in-Great-Britain-2015.pdf
There are lots of stories in the media of tragic cases where gambling addiction has led to suicide:
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Problem gamblers 15 times more likely to commit suicide