A British charity organisation claims that the Euro 2020 football tournament caused a significant increase in gambling problems.
According to reports, calls to the National Gambling Helpline rose by 28% during the football tournament in comparison to the same period a year earlier. The charity organisation that runs the service, GamCare, has revealed that the return of live sports in the summer of 2021 is resulting in an increase in dangerous gambling behaviour.
Anna Hemmings, the chief executive officer of GamCare, shared that people who had suffered from compulsive behaviour and other gambling-related issues in the past shared with the charity advisors that watching sports had a significant impact on their gambling habits, partly because of gambling operators’ advertising and sponsorships and partly because sports triggered their harmful habits.
More than 50% of the advisors who work for the National Gambling Helpline that is run by GamCare shared that they have spoken to recovered gamblers who have turned back to their gambling habits during the Euros. Even more, some of them have reported some people have gone to extreme lengths in order to be able to place bets again.
Online Gambling Participation Proliferates during Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdowns
According to reports of the National Gambling Helpline’s advisors, some customers who have gotten in contact with the helpline said they had been in disguise when they went to place a bet on the football tournament because they had previously contacted sports betting operators and asked them to suspend them from accessing their services.
Other customers who have used the services of the National Gambling Helpline revealed they had used their children’s phones in order to make sure they avoid the gambling blocks they had previously placed on their own devices.
GamCare’s CEO Ms Hemmings explained that if a player had faced a consistent run of matches as well as different sporting activities going on, that could be a risky time when it comes to gambling escalation. She further noted that it is quite easy for gambling habits to get more frequent and take longer sessions, which could seriously deteriorate their situation both in terms of financial state and mental health.
As Ms Hemmings further noted, coronavirus lockdowns have accelerated an online gambling crisis. She shared her concern that the return of the English Premier League’s (EPL) new season, as well as a summer of live sports, could trigger more people’s gambling to get out of control. That is why the Chief Executive Officer of GamCare recommended the use of special blocking software in order for players to suspend their access to certain online platforms. Ms Hemmings further suggested that people who suffer from addictions get in contact with sportsbooks operating both off- and online and ask them to prevent them from accessing their services.
- Author
Olivia Cole
