PCC Joins Lord Timpson for Top-Level Talks on Gambling Harm

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen joined criminal justice experts for the first in a series of national roundtable meetings to address gambling-related crime and harm. The meeting was chaired by Lord Timpson, the UK Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending and saw the County Durham and Darlington PCC joining representatives from across the gambling sector to discuss practical and meaningful solutions for tackling gambling addiction in the criminal justice system.

The PCC is joint national lead for Addictions and Substance Misuse on behalf of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) alongside Dorset PCC David Sidwick. Both have rigorously campaigned for tougher regulation of the gambling industry to better protect problem gamblers on behalf all 41 PCCs and Deputy Mayors across England and Wales.

This includes lobbying to hold the sector to account for the consequences of gambling harm and pushing for improved betting rules to safeguard children and those already in the grip of addiction.  

According to the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (2024), 60% of adults reported participating in a gambling activity within the previous 12 months although when National Lottery draws are excluded, this figure falls to 41%. Almost half of young people reported some experience of gambling within the previous 12 months, representing an increase from 44% in 2024.

The survey also reported that gambling participation and gambling-related harm are more prevalent in areas of higher deprivation. Certain groups are also at greater risk, including men, people experiencing mental health difficulties, and those who are unemployed.

Locally, the Commissioner has prioritised gambling in her Police, Crime and Justice Plan, pledging action in several areas including developing appropriate evidence-based gambling support and information resources, improving how professionals identify those at risk from gambling harms and lobbying the Gambling Commission to make greater availability of population level data to understand the relationship between poor health outcomes, housing, homelessness and domestic abuse and gambling harms.

The theme of prevention also underpins everything the PCC does and she has vowed to work with partners to develop long-term solutions to drug, alcohol and gambling harm that drive so many to crime.

The high-level discussion considered prison rehabilitation and solutions for addressing problems within the prison population, how charities, support services and ministers can share insights effectively to map out future harm reduction and how gambling addiction recovery strategies can be integrated into sentencing frameworks and support.  

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Gambling harm is a national crisis, damaging lives, tearing apart families and undermining communities. It demands bold policy reform and coordinated action.

“I welcomed the chance to join Lord Timpson’s inaugural roundtable and take Durham’s frontline experience straight to the heart of government, helping shape solutions that will make a real difference across England and Wales.

“Gambling can also have wider social consequences, including links to criminal behaviour. Offences associated with gambling-related harm may include acquisitive crimes committed to fund gambling and research suggests that around 45% of gambling-related offences involve violence.

“Problem gambling is addiction – it’s no different from drugs or alcohol - and it must be treated as such, with proper support and intervention. Protecting our communities means acting earlier, tightening industry safeguards to prevent harm before it starts and strengthening support for those driven into crime to sustain their addiction.”

The PCC has spearheaded sweeping local reforms in Durham. This includes developing the first Gambling Charter in the country for a police force. The agreement set out the Constabulary’s commitment to work collaboratively to tackle gambling harm in the workplace and wider community.

The proportion of prisoners identified as having a gambling addiction is consistently higher than that seen in the general population, highlighting the significant relationship between gambling harm and the criminal justice system. This is why the PCC brought forward changes to effectively screen more offenders in custody for gambling problems to divert more people into treatment and to break the cycle of offending.

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