Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director, Communities and Environment

The Committee received the interim report which sets out the initial findings of the Communities and Place OSC in relation to a review of the impact of Gambling on the Borough.

As a result of the evidence gathering sessions the following issues were identified:

The number and distribution of licensed gambling premises in Gateshead

There are a relatively small number of premises licensed for gambling in Gateshead. There are no casinos, 3 bingo premises, 42 betting premises, 11 adult gaming centres and 1 family entertainment centre. The number of premises has remained largely stable since the Gambling Act 2005 came into force. They are however a prominent feature of the main shopping areas of the borough which is a common  theme across the country.

Other gambling in the borough

Certain numbers and categories of gaming machines are permitted in premises licensed for the sale of alcohol. There are also 82 registered small society lotteries in Gateshead.

It was recognised by the Committee that a huge amount of gambling goes on in the borough which is outside of the control of the Council as licensing authority. This includes the National Lottery, scratch cards and online gambling. The potential amount of money that goes out of the borough through this route is a matter of concern. The amount of promotion and advertising of gambling on television is also a matter of concern.

The problem with Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs)

The review highlighted the increase in the prevalence of FOBTs and identified that there are potentially 168 of these in Gateshead’s 42 licensed betting premises. It also highlighted the concerns from many different bodies around these machines – that it is possible to lose large amounts of money playing on them and the associations between these machines and problem gambling and gambling addiction.

The review examined the national debate around the limitations of the evidence available to establish casual links between FOBTs and problem gambling and addiction to gambling and highlighted the reluctance of Government to curtail the availability of these machines in the absence of clear correlations and associations.

The review also highlighted the wide range of initiatives, schemes, research and inquiries which are currently being carried out to further understand the concerns raised.

The lack of evidence about the scale of harm caused by problem gambling in Gateshead

The review examined the available data sources about problem and at-risk gambling and their relation to the borough if Gateshead. It also highlighted to members the known risk factors associated with problem and at-risk gambling and the kinds of harm they are more likely than other people to experience.

Members were advised however that while a wide range of local agenices, services and bodies were approached to provide evidence on the extent of gambling related harms in Gateshead there was simply no available. It is apparent that there does not currently exist a mechanism to record and measure problems caused by gambling in our local community, and none were able to provide local statistics about specific problems, not the number of individuals or families affected by them.

The role of the Gambling Commission and the relevance of local area profiles

Members heard a presentation from Rob Burkitt, the lead for Shared Regulation and Better Regulation at the Gambling Commission. Rob set out the role of the Gambling Commission and an overview of its priorities for 2016/17.

In particular Rob drew members attention to the expectation of the Commission that gambling operators have an understanding of the locality in which their premises are situated and any impact their premises may have on persons in the area who may be more vulnerable to gambling related harm and should carry out local risk assessments to ensure that they have a full understanding and awareness of their local surroundings.

Members were advised that gambling operators have been contacted by the Commission regarding the need to accelerate the pace at which they are putting customers at the heart of business decisions. It was also highlighted that the harmful effects of gambling will be picked up as part of Public Health campaigns in the future as it is recognised that this is a feature of a wider issue.

Members recognised the importance of the working relationship between the Commission and the Council and were keen for it to continue.

Recent research into the way local authorities can protect vulnerable people from gambling related harm by improving the understanding of local area risk

Members were informed about some work commissioned in 2015 by Westminster and Manchester Council to explore what area-based vulnerability to gambling related harm might look like.

The study firstly identified the groups in society that are potentially most vulnerable to harm from gambling and then brought this information together to create local risk indices and visually display them, showing areas with greater concentrations of people who are more likely to be vulnerable to harm.

Members were informed about the results of the study for Manchester and Westminster and the range of different factors which contributed to the heightened risk in their areas.

The recommendations of the study were shared with Members.

The role of the charity Gamcare in providing information, advice, support and counselling for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling.

Members received a presentation from the learning and development Manager of Gamcare an independent national charity providing information, advice, support and free counselling for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling.

The following points summarise the key findings from the OSC’s review of the impact of gambling in Gateshead:-

·         The Council should use every opportunity to contribute to the national debate about the harms that can be caused by irresponsible and problem gambling.

·         The Council should continue to develop its productive working relationship with the Gambling Commission.

·         The Council should contribute to the continuing debate and proposed consultations on the harms associated with fixed odds betting terminals

·         The Gambling Commission’s introduction of Local Area Risk profiles represents a new opportunity for Gateshead Council to think more deeply about the protection of vulnerable people from gambling related harm. The Council should develop Local Area Risk Profiles for the borough.

·         Gateshead Council as a licensing authority should examine the range of data available locally and evaluate how this can be used in Local Area Risk Profiles.

·         Gateshead Council as a licensing authority should also begin to consider what data and evidence is missing and establish closer working links with other services within the Council and with partner agencies to develop a better knowledge base and a better range of data.