Sheffield City Council has launched its first ever anti-gambling strategy in a bid towards trying to reduce the number of people with a serious addiction.
The strategy focuses on prevention and treatment with aims to reduce exposure of gambling advertisement to young people.
It identifies not only the harms of gambling, but also provides information to young people surrounding the relevant prevention and treatments in place.
Greg Fell, Director of Public Health in Sheffield said: “We will not allow advertising of gambling and related products on council owned properties.”
Mr Fell explained how it is his job to set the ‘right tone and narrative’ in the city’. He added ‘The relevant licensing must be in place if premises wish to operate as an ‘Adult Gaming Centre” – which is a betting shop.
He said: “The council can execute its judgement about licensing whether it does or doesn’t grant licenses.”
The strategy was co-produced by the Sheffield Gambling Harms Stakeholder Group which includes people from the council, the NHS and charities.
The NHS will oversee commissioning of treatment, which would provide a leveling up of standards as the gambling industry relies on targeting people, and building addiction.
The City Council will also work more on promoting people’s awareness on the danger of gambling and create more projects to prevent young addicts.
Council Leader Tom Hunt said: “We can make people aware of the harms that gambling causes to people’s lives, and to work with our partners in the NHS and the government, to make sure that there is a clear and concerted action to do everything we can to mitigate those gambling harms.”
The charity ‘Gambling with Lives’ set up in 2018, provides support for families that have been bereaved by gambling suicide and advocates for change.
Charlie Ritchie, co-founder of the organisation said: “It has been a struggle, we are up against a very powerful well-funded industry. Change is a very slow process.”
The Council meeting focused on the importance of preventing advertising to encourage young people to try the game online.
Sheffield City Council has now approved that there would be zero advertising on company on council premises.
Greg Fell said: “It would be great to see Sheffield leading the way to make that even more extensive.”