The devastating impact that gambling is having on people’s lives in Wales has been raised in the Senedd by Clwyd West MS Darren Millar, who urged the Welsh Government to take action to address the problem. 

Speaking in the Welsh Parliament Darren said the Welsh Government could be doing more to help people and called for a statement from the Minister in the Welsh Government responsible for public health on the matter. 

He said: 

“We all know that problem gambling is an issue that is prevalent across Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom, but there doesn't seem to be a great deal of action forthcoming from the Welsh Government to address this issue, yet we know that it's ruining lives, it's ruining people's relationships, it's causing many to lose their homes, businesses, and even some people, unfortunately, to go to the lengths of taking their own lives. 

“There is action that the Welsh Government could be taking to address the problem: we could deal with the prevalence of betting shops in some deprived communities, through changes in the planning system; we could do more to educate young people about the harms of problem gambling in our schools, through the curriculum; and we could develop a national gambling addiction service, which we don't currently have in Wales that other parts of the UK currently do. 

“I think it would be good to have a debate or a statement in this Chamber, from the Government, so that we can discuss these things as a Senedd as a whole, and take forward some concrete actions to get to grips with this problem once and for all, given that gambling is a public health menace.”

In her response, the Welsh Government’s Trefnydd (Business Manager) thanked Darren for bringing the matter to the attention of the Senedd and said the Welsh Government will now look at this.