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News Archive > eb 2007 > 1 Feb 2007

Online Casino Gaming Treatment Must be Part of NHS

The UK NHS, or National Health Service, has recently released a report that online casino gaming addiction and its treatment should be offered within the NHS. The BMA, or British Medical Association, is calling for online casino gaming addiction to be a recognized addiction that requires treatment. This recommendation is part of a strong set of proposals aimed at helping healthcare professionals effectively deal with the growing problem of land-based and online casinos gambling addiction in the UK.

‘Problem gambling is associated with a number of health problems and the BMA is concerned that there are insufficient treatment facilities available. There needs to be treatment for problem gambling available on the NHS similar to drug and alcohol services,’ said Dr. Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA Head of Science and Ethics. Online casino and land-based gambling addiction have become greater problems in the past few years. This is due in part to the rapid growth in popularity of online casino gaming around the world.

The BMA is particularly worried about adolescent problem gamblers. The report is requesting a review on whether slot machine gambling should be forbidden for anyone under 18 years of age. Fruit machine slots gambling addiction can lead to behavioral problems such as stealing, truanting, and other aggressive behaviors. Studies have shown that land-based and online casino gaming among young people often accompanies other addictive activities such as drug and alcohol abuse. It has also been linked to juvenile crime. With the 2005 Gambling Act coming into full force this September, this report is timely.