Campaigners hail 'huge step' for gambling laws

The parents of a man who took his own life while battling a gambling addiction have said measures including new limits for online betting are a "huge step forward".

Jack Ritchie was 24 and teaching English in Vietnam when he died in 2017, leaving a suicide note which said he would "never be free" from gambling.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced it would increase taxes on gambling companies to fund addiction treatment, and put stake limits on online slot games.

Jack's mother Liz Ritchie, from Sheffield, said: "There are a lot of us that have been campaigning for a long time about this and it does feel like this new government has listened and has acted."

DCMS has added a £5 per spin limit for all adults aged 25 and over, with a £2 per spin limit for 18 to 24-year-olds.

It comes as addiction to online gambling slots has surged since the Covid pandemic, according to data from charity GamCare.

Among callers to its helpline, 45% mentioned problems with online slot games, jumping from 34% in 2020-2021.

The NHS has said it is treating more people with gambling problems, with its latest figures showing referrals have more than doubled on the same period last year.

Now the government is to introduce the "first legally mandated" tax on the betting industry to fund gambling addiction treatment.

Half of the money raised is to go directly to NHS care, 30% will be spent on public health campaigns and other prevention measures, and the remaining 20% will be spent on research, the government said.

Jack's gambling addiction started when he was a teenager, placing bets with his dinner money on his lunch breaks at school.

In the days leading up to his death, he had been a regular visitor to the BetVictor online gambling site.

He told his parents of his problems with gambling, but they said he was not diagnosed or offered treatment which linked his symptoms to gambling addiction.

Mrs Ritchie and her husband Charles set up a charity called Gambling With Lives, to raise awareness of the harm and suicide risk of gambling.

Mr Ritchie said: "When Jack died, there was just one NHS clinic and there are now 15.

"At the moment these are funded through the NHS budget.

"This will change this, so those will now be funded through this statutory levy and that is a big change."

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