Caroline with Ian Semel of Breakeven

I met recently with Ian Semel (pictured above), Director of Breakeven, a free counselling service for anyone affected by problem gambling.

Breakeven has branches in both Brighton & Hove and Eastbourne, serving anyone living in Sussex.

Demand for their services is rising - not surprising when you consider the fact that opportunities for gambling are rapidly increasing too.

Advertising is becoming ever more sophisticated and targeted, and new technology means many more bets can be laid.

It’s certainly a problem here in Brighton: last month the Argus reported that more than £250 million was spent in 12 months on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), equivalent to nearly £700,000 a day.

Meanwhile, there is a caseload of 60-80 people a week at Breakeven’s Brighton office.  

Ian believes a key challenge in addressing problem gambling lies in getting more people to know about the presence of the support service.

There's also a role for GP surgeries, as GPs regularly ask patients questions relating to drink or drugs – gambling should be included in this too.

I’ll be following this up with the local Clinical Commissioning Group and asking for Breakeven’s posters and leaflets to be made available in all surgeries.

Betting companies themselves should play a much stronger role too, for example, by using technology to help people self-exclude from premises.

They could also adopt technology used in Norway whereby the length of time and amount of money that an individual can spend on a given machine can be limited.

Beyond this, there is a strong argument for the rules governing advertising around gambling to be looked at again.

For more on Breakeven’s services contact the Helpline on 0845 6000 133 or see www.gamcare.org.uk