Yorkshire: Gambling affecting many in workplace

A new report has called for businesses to take more action to support staff struggling with problem gambling and for employment support programmes to do more to identify the early signs of an addiction.

A poll commissioned by Reed in Partnership, which provides employment support services, suggests that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of working adults in Yorkshire and the Humber who gamble want to hide this from their colleagues.

The issue is having an impact on the UK economy, according to the firm, with three per cent of adults knowing someone who has lost their jobs as a result of problem gambling.

There are also said to be many out of work and unable to get a job because of their compulsive behaviour or because they cannot afford the cost of travelling to an interview or buying work clothes.

Martin Fallon, Managing Director of Reed in Partnership said: “It’s important that we provide adequate support and guidance for those who are at risk of losing their jobs because of gambling, and those whose addiction is stopping them from getting back into the workplace.

“At the same time Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, which are particularly attractive to the unemployed, have such high limits that you could lose one month’s worth of Job Seeker’s Allowance in less than one minute.”

The poll, carried out by YouGov, surveyed more than 2,000 people and broke the results down by region.