A paper being presented to members of the Wellbeing, Equalities, Communities, Culture and Engagement Committee (WECCE) highlights that out of 4518 adult participants, one in every 10 respondents had spent money on gambling activities – excluding the National Lottery – in the previous month.
The most recent survey carried out by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has reported on the findings and interviews taken in their Adult Health and Wellbeing survey 2024.
The number of people gambling was 13 per cent higher for those ages 25-34 and 55-64, living in poverty and were more likely to be male.
Those who had gambled in the previous month were asked how often they had returned another day to win back the money they lost. Three in four said never, 18 per cent said some of the time, five per cent said most of the time, and one per cent said every time they lost.
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The report advises members that this suggests that around 3000 adults in Glasgow go back all or most of the time to win back the money lost.
The Glasgow Education Services Health and Wellbeing Census 2021-22 also found that 25 per cent of pupils in S3, S5 and S6 had spent money on gambling activities in the last month, which included private betting, fruit machines, lottery, placing a bet in a betting shop, gaming websites and bingo.
Glasgow also has more bookmakers than anywhere in the UK, with 43 per cent of betting shops situated in the most deprived areas while just 2.5 per cent can be found in the most affluent.
The report being presented to elected members states: “Gambling harms are the adverse impacts from gambling on the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, and society. In Scotland, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people are at risk of, or currently experiencing, harm related to their own gambling.”
Members will be asked to continue working with the Scottish Government and other national bodies to tackle gambling and advocate for the UK Government to review the Gambling Act and ensure Glasgow is fairly funded to address Gambling.
