London, July 3 : It has emerged that the number of Scottish women falling into debt through online gambling is increasing- and the new generation of smartphones is being blamed for it.
Addiction charity RCA Trust has logged a 15 percent rise in women of all ages getting into debt through using Internet poker and bingo sites in the last year.
The Trust says it has been contacted by more than 200 women, many of whom have racked up debts totaling thousands of pounds, with increased use of smartphones making it easier to gamble 24 hours per day.
This has boosted the number of young women who have become addicted to online gambling, while older women have also started to use the Internet more, meaning that those without access to "terrestrial" gambling opportunities such as bingo halls can still play.
But the Trust claims that the number of people who actually seek help for their problem is just the 'tip of the iceberg'.
"This is becoming a major issue," the Scotsman quoted Andy Todd, counseling manager for the RCA Trust as saying.
"It is the tip of the iceberg - there will be a lot more women out there who are in the same situation and do not come to us, or any other organisations, for help."
"The key is the accessibility - that people can log in 24-7 from their smart phone as well as from their computer," stated Todd.
Researchers believe that women who feel isolated - especially if they are living alone in rural communities - are most likely to turn to online gambling.
The results were presented to a conference of debt experts organised by Money Advice Scotland at Crieff Hydro last month.
--ANI
Share this article at
No comments:
Post a Comment