5,000% rise in complaints regarding gambling companies

According to figures released by the UK Gambling Commission, there were over 8,266 complaints last year. This is staggeringly higher than the 169 in 2013.

The majority of these complaints were surrounding firms either operating in an irresponsible way or simply refusing to pay out winnings on bets.

The chief executive of the Gambling Commission, Neil McArthur has stated that there were many reasons for the rise in complaints.

The rise in complaints follows an extremely sharp increase in gambling in the UK over the last 10 years. This has come after the government relaxed restrictions on betting and advertising in 2007.

It has been stated that gamblers are now losing almost twice as much to the betting companies than they were this time a decade ago. Over £14.5 billion was lost by gamblers in 2018.

The biggest rise has been in terms of online gambling, where there are constantly new slot games and products created that attract new customers, making people addicted to slot games and other casino games.

High stakes betting machines are not allowed on high streets anymore, however there are no regulations surrounding online games. This has led to customers losing thousands of pounds in just a few minutes.

Daniel Clinkscales, a 35-year-old, sadly took his own life after suffering with a gambling addiction for many years. He earned a decent living as a sales manager, however he also decided to take on two extra jobs to fund the gambling.

His Mother, Jo Holloway, said that Daniel had hid his addiction for many years.

She has said “I think he found it so hard to come to terms with the fact that he was clever, intelligent and successful, yet he had one problem, gambling”.

According to Holloway, the burden of responsibility should be placed upon the betting companies, because most gamblers simply just do not know how to end their addiction.