New Government - New Opportunity to Tackle Gambling Harm before it Fuels More Crime

PCC Joy Allen explains, in her own words, why addressing gambling harm is essential to protecting vulnerable people,supporting recovery and building safer, more resilient communities.

As the Government’s new Cabinet begins its work, it has an opportunity to tackle one of the most overlooked drivers of crime and victimisation: gambling harm.

Too often, gambling is viewed solely as a health issue. As the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ Joint Lead for Addictions and Substance Misuse I see a different reality. Gambling addiction can drive theft, fraud, domestic abuse, financial exploitation and suicide, leaving victims, families, and communities to pay the price, while placing increasing pressure on policing, courts, probation, prisons.

In recent weeks I have met Baroness Twycross, Lord Foster and Lord Timpson to discuss how we can better prevent gambling-related harm and reduce the crime it fuels. Those discussions reinforced one clear message: gambling harm is not simply a health issue; it is a public safety and criminal justice issue requiring a coordinated national response.

With Baroness Twycross, I discussed the growing threat from illegal gambling websites, which exploit vulnerable people, facilitate money laundering and are often linked to organised crime.

With Lord Foster, we discussed how the Proceeds of Crime Act could better reflect the realities of gambling-related crime. Stolen money is usually lost through gambling, leaving no criminal proceeds to recover. Too often, innocent families risk losing their home or access to joint savings. We need a fairer system that protects families while putting victims first.

I was disappointed to see Lord Timpson leave Government, particularly after he convened the first cross-government roundtable on gambling-related crime. Where we recognised that gambling affects policing, prisons, probation, health and wider public services. That momentum must not be lost.

The new Government should now take five practical steps:

• Crackdown on illegal gambling sites by disrupting organised crime, strengthening enforcement and preventing money laundering.
• Make better use of the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover criminal assets while protecting innocent families and returning more stolen money to victims.
• Embed gambling treatment within rehabilitation, expanding support through specialist services and the Gambling Harm Charter across prisons and probation.
• Work with banks to identify gambling harm earlier through gambling blocks, spending insights and better customer support before debt turns into crime.
• Invest Gambling Levy funding in prevention, including early identification in police custody and stronger referral pathways into treatment.

These are practical, evidence-based measures that will reduce offending, protect victims, and ease pressure across the criminal justice system. Most importantly, they will help people access support before addiction destroys lives.

If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, effective help is available. The NHS Northern Gambling Service provides free, confidential specialist support across the North East. People can self-refer without seeing a GP through the Northern Gambling Service website, while family members affected by someone else’s gambling can also access support.

Andy Burnham’s administration has the opportunity to change policies to prevent crime and save lives. If we continue to see gambling only through the lens of personal responsibility, we will always respond after the damage is done. But if we recognise gambling harm as a preventable driver of crime and victimisation, we can intervene earlier, support recovery and build safer, stronger, and more resilient communities. This is exactly the sort of change we need!

Help can be found here:

• https://gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
• https://www.northerngamblingservice.nhs.uk/

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