Euro 2020 to Blame for Spike in Gambling Problems

Now that the Euros are over and the English Premier League is has begun for the 2021/2022 season, the National Gambling Helpline has revealed a worrying statistic related to gambling on sports. When comparing figures from 2020 to 2021, calls to the helpline soared by 28% and the tournament was to blame. GamCare also revealed they answered the phone to multiple recovered gamblers who succumbed to placing bets during the Euros.

A Call for Help

Many of the callers who were looking for help told advisors they had gone to great lengths to place bets, many of whom had disguised themselves to fool bookmakers into accepting their bets! In other instances, adults were using their children’s devices to get around the gambling blocks on their own mobiles, allowing them to place bets under the radar.

The charity's chief executive, Anna Hemmings, said: “Certainly people who've had gambling issues in the past tell us that it really impacts on their ability to watch sport. Partly because it's triggering and partly because of (gambling companies') sponsorship and advertising.If you've got a consistent run of matches and different sporting activities going on, that's a risky time in terms of gambling escalation. It's easy for gambling to get more frequent and for longer sessions.”

Ms Hemmings is blaming the pandemic for the acceleration in online problem gambling and fears the return of the Premier League season will only add fuel to the fire. Her advice to anyone who is tempted to place a bet when they shouldn’t, is to make use of free gambling blocking software to stop access to all gambling related websites, plus make use of safer gambling controls.

The Government are doing all they can to reduce the risk of gambling related harms, but many have lost confidence in MP’s after it was revealed nine of them, seven Conservatives and two Labour politicians had accepted free Euro 2020 tickets from gambling companies in the summer! Free hospitality was thrown at the MP’s worth thousands of pounds, with Esther McVey, the former work and pensions secretary, accepting a £3,457 ticket to England v Denmark – accompanied by her husband who also received the same ‘gift’, the Blackpool South MP Scott Benton who received almost £8K in free travel, stays and tickets to multiple England matches plus Graham Stuart, Stuart Andrew and Ben Bradley, who all received tickets to England v Germany at Wembley with hospitality worth £1,961 by Power Leisure.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, the director of the Clean Up Gambling campaign, wasn’t exactly thrilled when he saw politicians taking the gifts: “While the government reviews our gambling laws, it’s no surprise to see the betting industry on a charm offensive. Thankfully the vast majority of MPs are in favour of gambling reform, but legislators should think twice about accepting hospitality from a sector that derives the majority of its profits from people experiencing harm.”

What do you make of it all? Let us know your thoughts below.

Source: “Euro 2020: Tournament Caused Spike in Gambling Problems, Says Charity, Which Warns of Return of Live Sports”. Sky News. August 22, 2021.