Gambling Nation Panorama

Tonight on Panorama: Has the proliferation of gambling brought

misery to increasing numbers of problem gamblers? They were aware

that I had an obvious gambling problem, yet I was allowed to sit

there and spend as much money as possible. This personal banking

manager gambled a fortune he didn't have. The debt through gambling,

including what I stole, you are looking at best part of nearly

�300,000. �300,000? Yeah. Could the industry's most profitable machines

be turning ordinary gamblers into addicts? It was like the Formula 1

of fruit machines. It is a quicker fix.

With undercover filming and industry whistle blowers, we ask if

these machines could be a cause of crime and disorder.

They are just kicking the screen, smashing it, trying to tip it over.

Since the Gambling Act came in five years ago, our society has been

changing. Gambling is now enjoyed by around three quarters of the

population, more people than ever before. There are more betting

shops on our high streets, more adverts on our TVs, celebrity

endorsements and sponsorship deals. And new platforms have brought 24

hour gambling into our homes, and to our finger tips. Even in the

recession, it is still profitable, with takings of �5.6 billion last

year. One particular machine is generating a quarter of those

takings. It is the fixed odds betting terminal or FOBT, which

brings casino games like roulette and blackjack to your local bookies.

Just tell me about this machine. You have the fixed odds betting

terminal. Basically, here you have the main menu. Former Tote Sport

machines department manager Adrian Parkinson showed me how they work.

You can start staking on the board. There are almost 34,000 FOBT

machines in our bookies. They have been branded the crack cocaine of

gambling by industry insiders. I've won some money! So, are these

machines turning people into For me personally, the first day I

placed money in a FOBT machine was the day my life was going to change

for the worse. I had been introduced to a new style of

gambling that to this day is still destroying my life, and one day

could aid the ending of my life. This man is too ashamed of his

family finding out about his gambling to be filmed openly.

just seemed like a new exciting thing had entered the bookies. It

was the speed of it. It is happening every 10 or 15 seconds.

You've got that adrenaline rush. It is a quicker fix.

A unique feature of the FOBT is the high amounts you can stake, as much

as �100 every 20 seconds. And the speed of play means there is very

little cool down time to allow you to stop and reflect on how much you

are spending. Once you've lost your 20, you start

putting another 20 in to try and win your 20 back. And it got to a

point where it was going up to �200 a day. My biggest loss was �620

which lasted about 20 minutes. I just wanted to go and get a golf

club and go back down and smash the machine up.

We went undercover in high street bookies in London and Birmingham,

where local police figures showed betting shop crime was up. We

wanted to see if FOBT machines were causing violence and aggression. We

visited 37 shops and filmed 26 outbursts of FOBT rage. We had been

in this shop less than five minutes I've lost bloody �300. I hurt.

what? So what? Do you want me to pull the machine down? You can do

what you want. People losing money, it hurts. Yeah. You're not the only

person. A key licensing objective set out in the Gambling Act is to

prevent gambling from being a source of crime and disorder. BEEP.

We interviewed betting shop managers from leading high street

bookies William Hill, Ladbrokes and Betfred. With between 20 and 35

years experience each as managers, they all said FOBTs have increased

aggression, violence and criminal damage. Worried about their jobs,

we have used actors to say their words. People just go berserk. They

just kick in the screens, smashing it. Trying to tip it over. They are

picking up chairs, stools to throw at it, simply because they have

lost their money. We had somebody come up with a

pickaxe to smash the machine because they said we robbed his

money. It is frightening. The most disgusting thing is when people

spit on the machines. Some of these people are almost frothing at the

mouth. Available police statistics across Britain show crimes of

violence in betting shops rose by 9% between 2008 and 2011. Yet

criminal damage reports almost halved. BEEP! Our industry insiders

claim that is because many acts of criminal damage are simply not

being reported to the police. Betfred encourage you to report it

on their system rather than go to the police. The staff feel unhappy

at Ladbrokes because what they feel is criminal behaviour or potential

criminal offences are not being taken as seriously as they should

by the Ladbrokes management. And we have obtained a copy of

instructions to William Hill staff agreed with the police. It says

incidents of criminal damage to FOBT machines are not to be

reported to police unless the member of staff knows the

perpetrator by name and where they live or work. It is my opinion that

they do not want us to report these acts of damage because they are

trying to cover up a problem. All three firms told us they take

staff safety and antisocial behaviour extremely seriously.

William Hill said any suggestion that it covers up violence or

permits illegal activity is Meanwhile, my lucky streak had come

to an end. No, just missed it. is cruel, isn't it? I won on the

first go. Only 4% of gamblers play FOBT

machines but the betting shop managers we spoke to say they

believe the machines can turn normal customers into problem

gamblers. �7.20! I won! I can see how you get

sucked in because now I have doubled my money, I want to keep

going. The machines have caused an increase in problem gamblers,

without a doubt. It's like a drug. I would say it is

like a drug. They obviously need to use the

toilet at some point, but they just seem to sit there. Sometimes people

have sat there and wet themselves. I met a former machines department

manager with 15 years' experience at senior level. He believes the

addictive nature of FOBT machines is well known within the industry.

After FOBT machines were introduced to betting shops, the number of

problem gamblers mushroomed. That feedback would have been

experienced by most of senior management and certainly filtered

through to executive management. says even staff were vulnerable to

the machines. I set up a training programme to show shop staff how to

play the games on the FOBTs. There was a marked increase in staff

gambling. Some, when caught, claimed they had developed an

addiction to roulette. They were provided with support and

counselling to keep the problem internal.

I took his claims to the Association of British Bookmakers.

We have spoken to a former manager and he said to be trained staff to

use them and they had staff that became addicted and they ended up

having to give them cancelling -- counselling! I am surprised to hear

that because at the end of the day, there is no empirical evidence

linking machines to addiction. We really care about this issue and we

do make sure that the vulnerable are protected. More than eight

million customers use our shops safely and responsibly day in day

out. When the Labour Government

introduced the Gambling Act, assurances were made to parliament

that the proliferation of gambling would not lead to an increase in

problem gambling. We have one of the lowest rates of problem

gambling in the world and we intend to keep it that way. To monitor our

gambling habits, the Government started funding the British

Gambling Prevalence Survey. Two years ago, it found that there were

451,000 problem gamblers in Britain. That is up 50 % on its findings in

2007. Researchers say that could just have been a temporary blip.

The next survey which would have told us whether or not it was a

blip should have been starting about now, but it is not, because

the government has cut all its funding.

That decision has been criticised by some experts. How are we going

to carry on finding out whether this increase is an upward trend,

went there is not going to be a survey? Where will the evidence

comes from? Britain is one of the only

countries in Europe where children can bet legally on fruit machines.

Luke Simpson first gambled as a child in seaside amusement arcades.

Now 20, he is trying to kick the gambling habit but finds temptation

everywhere. We are in the city centre of Norwich.

In a big city like this, you know, there is a lot of bookies, places

what sell scratch cards. That is Coral over there, Ladbrokes there.

On this side, you have got another betting shop there. There is a

Betfreds, a couple of William Hills, and it's not good for someone like

me, you know what I mean? Too much temptation!

Last year, Luke voluntarily excluded himself from all the

bookies in his home town to keep himself away from FOBT machines.

Now it is scratch cards he can't resist. This is one of the main

shops I come to to buy scratchcards and, like, or waste my money, which

is not very good. Just seeing the different scratchcards and the

different colours, I would be tempted to buy one. The most I have

ever spent in one session is 500 quid. Which I feel stupid about

false --. Luke lives in a supported housing

unit just outside Norwich. This is my bedroom! He has Asperger's

syndrome, is out of work, several hundred pounds in debt, and is

being treated for depression and anxiety.

I've got to take my Amoxapine. The Fluoxetine. That is my anti-

depressant which keeps be balanced. When I have been losing money

gambling, my mood suddenly changes and I tried to stay positive

because that helps the medication to work for. We know that gambling

can be addictive, it is a mental health problem. People develop such

a strong habit that they find gambolling very difficult to give

up. It is an insidious disorder. It begins in a small way and builds up

to the point at which people can be totally preoccupied with it. It

takes over people's thoughts! We've already got the wow factor!

Most gambling ads are restricted to after the 9pm watershed although

lotteries, bingo and pre-watershed sporting events like football

internationals are exempt. I have got an addiction and, you know, I

am trying to get away from it but seeing these adverts does not make

it easy. Like, you switch on the TV and boom! Adverts should not be

designed to appeal to a young audience. Yet the many celebrity

endorsements and sponsorship deals with sports stars must surely be

having an impact. One of the licensing objectives of

the Gambling Act is to protect children and the vulnerable from

exploitation. Is that nice? what exactly do they mean by

vulnerable? This is a picture of Ethan. It's my beautiful baby. He

was 13 months when I lost him. Keelin Carroll's son Ethan was born

with a condition leaving him in need of a double transplant. But a

donor could not be found in time. His death left Keelin unable to

cope. I just didn't want to have to bury my son. It was very difficult

and I was extremely vulnerable and that is where gambling came in.

Keelin had been coming here on Sunday nights to play bingo with

her mum for years. But after Ethan's death, she started staying

on after the bingo to play the slot machines. She hasn't been back for

I am a little bit nervous because I spent a lot of time here. I am a

little bit shaky to be back. Just hearing the sound of the machines

is nerve-racking. Keelin says she was well known to staff. At her

lowest, she said she was spending �100 a time up the slot machines.

My addiction was very obvious to these people because I would be the

last one up. They were aware that I had lost my son. They were aware

that I had emotional trauma and an opera is gambling problem. Yet I

was allowed to sit there and spend as much money as possible.

Gambling Commission's code of practice requires that licensees

put into effect policies and procedures for customer interaction

where they have concerns that a customer's behaviour may indicate

problem gambling. According to Keelin that did not happen. I did

have a few times when I broke down and I was crying, really upset. It

was visually obvious that I had issues and not one person ever came

to me and said, this is the help out there if you want to take it.

Keelin says that those playing the slot machines were given free

snacks and soft drinks. They did not want you to leave the machines,

so they make sure you were fed and watered to make sure that you

stayed and did not leave. Mecca Bingo says that the free snacks and

soft drinks are a convenient customer-service and certainly not

intended to encourage people to play longer. They also said it is

extremely common for problem gambler to blame anyone but

themselves for their plight. Under the Gambling Commission's code of

practice, staff should be trained to approach customers that they

suspect of problem gambling. But the betting shop managers that we

spoke to, despite having decades of experience, told us they felt

inadequate for the task. We are not really able to deal with them in a

way that they deserve. We are not trained counsellors, just everyday

people with this thrust upon us. Rather than approach somebody and

get a torrent of abuse or have somebody breaking down in front of

you, we tend not to approach the customers. All of the firms said

they took their duty of care towards problem gamblers seriously.

William Hill told us it was at the forefront of industry efforts to

combat problem gambling and had worked with GamCare on a training

programme to further educate staff this year. Betfred said it is

important that our staff should feel confident in addressing these

issues and that it will be reviewing its training in light of

So does the industry regulator, the Gambling Commission, think that

training is adequate given what the managers have told us? We think

more needs to be done in that area and we are working to make sure

more is done. It is clearly the responsibility of businesses,

through their staff, to identify problem gamblers and that is part

of the work we are doing. managers tell us they do not feel

adequately trained by their companies to identify problem

gamblers and deal with them. want staff to be adequately trained,

and where that is not happening, we absolutely want it to happen.

if we could gamble as much money as we like, 24 hours a day, in the

privacy of our own home? The rapid expansion in virtual betting shops

and casinos means that we now have the freedom to do just that.

Jonathan used to be a personal banking manager. Married with kids,

he was the epitome of respectability. But is certain a

diction to online gambling led him to prison. -- his hidden addiction.

You got these literally after coming out of prison? I came out in

June, so probably seven weeks after that. I spent eight months inside,

which was hard. I have got attack. How did a man who worked in banking,

a school governor, a cub scout leader, end up in prison? Through

gambling addiction. That is the simple answer. A predominantly

started playing poker. I am pretty good at maths. I did all right. But

they opened up the online casino slot machines. I played a

tournament one night and won nearly $3,000. I gambled it all away in

about 10 minutes on the online slot machines trying to win more.

much debt did you actually get into through gambling? The debt through

gambling including what I stole, the best part of �300,000.

�300,000? I have gambled that the way, yes. If you are susceptible,

vulnerable individual, the research tends to show that because of the

24 hours convenience of gambling online, those people are at greater

risk. They are at greater risk with electronic cash because it lowers

the psychological value of the money. You know how much you have

lost but it does not feel the same as playing with physical cash.

Jonathan's gambling debts began to exceed the limit of what he could

borrow, he stole from his clients. I took an amount of money from one

of my clients. I expected to get caught. It was a horrible feeling.

I expected to be caught right away. But I did not get caught. You knew

that was wrong, didn't you? You do know, you know it is wrong, and I

wish I had been caught the first time I did it. But I was not caught

them. I got myself in a worse situation. You would literally Dion

Dublin sitting on the sofa watching television? Absolutely. -- knew

would literally do your gambling sitting on the sofa. He believes

they have the information to cat problem gamblers like him. You can

look at spending habits and the know if a person is getting into

financial difficulties. They must be able to look at the betting

activity and know if somebody is losing money. Every operator knows

what people of up to online. They have every click monitored. They

know the favourite games and how much they are spending. I think it

is socially irresponsible to make money from problem gamblers. With

tracking technology online, we have the technology that can pinpoint

the people with potential problems. The Remote Gambling Association has

told us that research is under way to see if online data can be used

to identify not just problem gamblers but also those that might

be at risk of becoming problem gamblers. So what help is out there

for gamblers who realise they are in trouble? Remember our gambler

too ashamed to be filmed openly? He lost his job. He is not yet 40 but

he has had a heart attack. I have already lost my partner. I have not

got much left to lose. He has given up FOBT machines but now lives as a

virtual recluse gambling online. some point I felt suicidal. At his

lowest ebb, he went to his GP about his gambling and was prescribed

anti-depressants and referred to a psychiatrist. I visited the

psychiatrist on three occasions. But the psychiatrist that I was

seeing had no clue whatsoever about people with gambling addictions. I

did not feel it was working and so I stopped going. You know, I am at

rock bottom again. You have, I am giving up trying. -- you know.

There is a national helpline for gamblers one by the charity GamCare.

It also provides face-to-face counselling across most of Britain.

There is currently just one NHS problem gambling clinic for the

whole of the UK. We know that there are over 200 gamblers Anonymous

groups and 50,000 people running the GamCare helpline. We know that

is just the tip of the iceberg. But if somebody comes in with a

gambling problem, most GPs do not know what to do. I think not enough

money is put into treatment and research and education.

Government does not recognise gambling addiction as a public

health issue, and like alcohol and drugs. That means there is no

Government funding for research and treatment. Instead money to help

gamblers comes from the industry itself, a voluntary donation. It is

�5 million a year, which last year amounted to just 0.1% of the

industry's takings. And betting shop industry profits seemed set to

continue this year. Over-the- counter bets are static, but

machines and online profits are up. That comes as no surprise to are

betting shop managers. The profit in might shop last year of the FOBT

machines was in excess of half a million pounds. That is quite a lot

of money across the William Hill shops across the country. 92% of

gamblers do so without any issues, but it is inevitable that some of

the industry's profits come from problem gamblers. Experts have

tried to work out just how much. think may be �150 million is being

taken annually from people with gambling problems. On one hand they

are taking 150 million and on the other they are giving 5 million

back for research and treatment. That seems to be nothing short of

the scandal. How uncomfortable do you feel about the tiny amount of

money that is given to research and treatment for problem gambling?

have got to remember that the vast majority of our customers do not

have any problems and they do act responsibly and Sophie. Having said

that, one problem gambler is one too many. -- responsibly and safely.

We encourage people to give donations even though times are

tough and many charitable organisations would not exist

without donations from our members. Gambling falls under the remit of

the Department of Culture Media and Sport. While it has the power to

force industry to raise more funds, it has never used it. The

department told us that the commitments of the gambling

industry towards the costs of treatment and research into problem

gambling are sufficient. They said they are content with the current

voluntary approach. I believe that the Government has got itself in a

difficult position where it is in a way complicit with its profits

being made by the industry and the increasing prevalence of problem

gambling. Their argument has been that this is just a business

opportunity. If there is research to be done, treatment to be given,

then we should align ourselves with the industry. While he cannot undo

his crimes, a former banker Jonathan is determined his

experience should act as a warning for others. I think there are

people in the same boat as I am in. If you can just tell people, when

you are in a mess and your life is spiralling down, then you need to

talk to people because they can help you. More problem gamblers are

being referred to the UK's only NHS run clinic every day. But the