Casino News

Few casino-goers 'would link gambling and debt'

2007-08-24 16:35:30

Only a small number of people in debt would attribute their problem to gambling, one expert has said.

Debt Free Direct's insolvency director Derek Oakley believes that most casino-goers would not recognise a link between their gambling habits and any financial hardships.

But he went on to say that the "explosion" of online gambling sites means that the number of people with debt problems is likely to rise.

"I couldn't give you an exact percentage but I would say it is a relatively small proportion of people who are saying, 'Look, practically the entirety of my problem is gambling'.

"However, there are a lot of people who don't admit that they have a gambling problem."

Statistics from the charity GamCare show that in 2006, gamblers aged between 26 and 35 constituted the largest single group of callers. The average debt specified was £13,867.