Gambling: Young people 'not getting help' they need

Not enough young people with gambling problems know where to turn for help, gambling charities have told Newsbeat.

GamCare says it received about 3,000 calls for help from 18 to 24-year-olds in 2013-14.

But the NatCen for Social Research says 83,000 16 to 24-year-olds in England and Scotland, most of them male, were classed as problem gamblers in 2013.

"The reasons people with problems fail to seek help are complex," says Simon Perfitt from Rethink Gambling.

"They include a number of factors such as a lack of knowledge about the different help options available and a low awareness of opportunities for seeking help."

The Nat Cen for Social Research says 73,321 of the 83,000 young problem gamblers identified in 2013 were men with 10,083 women.

Newsbeat hasn't been able to get equivalent figures for Wales and Northern Ireland.

Gamblers Anonymous and the NHS National Gambling Clinic also told Newsbeat that there were problems for young people trying to find help.

GamCare, an independent national charity part-funded by donations from the gambling industry, gives advice and support over the phone.

A proportion of its clients are sent on to its network of local counselling centres across the UK.

All their treatment services are free.

"Probably only a small number get specialist help, probably around 10% of that [overall number of gamblers]," says GamCare Chief Executive Dirk Hansen.

"It's often a secret addiction, it's not visible like other problems... people don't want others to know they have this problem.

"They feel if they seek help that it may become known to others, even a third party or a professional, and that it's going to cause problems for them."

Figures released exclusively to Newsbeat show a substantial recent rise in calls to its helpline by young people.

"Problem gambling is heavily concentrated in 16 to 24-year-olds," says Professor David Forrest from the University of Salford, who's studied gambling misuse.

"Overwhelmingly it's a male thing, it's a young person's thing."

Dave Hopson is a 24-year-old welder from Stafford and says he wouldn't know where to begin to get help.

"It's almost shameful to ask for help with this sort of an addiction because you feel embarrassed," he says.

"You ask for help of people that you love and they look at you like you are nothing.

"Where do you start? Do you go to A&E? Where do you start to look? I was never taught about addiction [like this] at school."

There are other groups, as well GamCare, that offer support such as Rethink Gambling but there is only one dedicated NHS clinic in the UK.

The National Problem Gambling Clinic in London deals specifically with gambling addiction.

People can refer themselves or be referred by their GP or probation officer.

It says of 2,177 people who have been referred there over the last three years, just over a third were under 30.

It says the average debt for those under-30s is more than £10,000 when they arrive at the clinic but they've lost a total of £60,000 on gambling overall.

People get help at the clinic including psychological treatment and behavioural therapy.

Gamcare Chief Executive Dirk Hansen says gambling is often a secret addiction

The Gambling Commission is a government body which regulates gambling in Great Britain.

They say all organisations "must have measures in place to minimise any harm caused by gambling".

In a statement they told Newsbeat: "These measures include having information readily available to customers on how to gamble responsibly and where they can get help if they think they have a problem."

The Association of British Bookmakers, which represents gambling shops, says it is planning a responsible gambling campaign for January.

Their spokesman Peter Craske says: "Staff in shops are trained to interact and will attempt to advise anyone who appears to be exhibiting problem gambling behaviour.

"Online customers can set deposit limits to manage their accounts, and all bookmakers will offer self-exclusion - the opportunity to 'ban' yourself from shops or websites."

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