Gambling companies step up efforts to sway addiction debate

LONDON, (Reuters) – On the websites of Britain’s bookmakers gamblers can bet around the clock on anything from soccer in Azerbaijan to financial market fluctuations, while others in betting shops feed high-stake machines that can devour 300 pounds ($470) a minute.

This anywhere, anytime gambling culture has changed the face of the industry over the past 15 years and brought fresh temptations to those who struggle to prevent a harmless flutter from becoming a dangerous addiction.

Whether the 6.3 billion pound industry creates more addicts is disputed, but a media backlash and political posturing ahead of a British national election next year has increased pressure on companies to show they are serious about tackling the problem as the Responsible Gambling Trust prepares to publish new research on the issue next month. “The challenge for companies is how they are going to persuade the regulator and a more sceptical public that they really care and it’s not just cosmetic, or just enough to keep either the regulator or politicians off their back,” Philip Graf, chairman of industry regulator the British Gambling Commission, has said.

Gambling has long been legal and tolerated in Britain, but at a price. High-stake betting machines and online revenue are the latest parts of the business to endure tax increases, while planning restrictions are being placed on betting shops that have proliferated in poor inner-city areas.

To avoid further sanctions, companies such as William Hill , Ladbrokes, Gala Coral and Paddy Power are looking to self-police their activities.