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Service launched to support problem gamblers in Wales

A new service has been launched to support people in Wales with gambling problems. Figures show the Welsh population spends around £1.6 billion every year on fixed odds betting terminals.

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Support service launched for problem gamblers in Wales

There are as many as 1,500 fixed odd betting terminals in Wales Credit: PA

A new initiative has been launched to help tackle problem gambling in Wales.

Statistics show the Welsh population spends the equivalent of 3.4% of the nation's annual GDP, that's around £1.6 billion, at fixed odd betting terminals.

That's the equivalent of £675 for every adult in Wales.

Now, in an effort to tackle the problem, Beat The Odds has been launched in Cardiff, to help people tackle their gambling difficulties.

Gambling is not a new phenomenon, but problem gambling in Wales is on the increase.

Figures for England and Wales show that almost 2% of the adult male population can now be classified as Pathological Gamblers. Gambling problems can lead to incredibly tough emotional, financial and psychological issues which are not easy to spot until it gets too much for the individual in question.

Beat the Odds aims to offer a new service unlike any other available before in Wales. We want to tackle the stigma associated with problem gambling and encourage anybody who feels as if they are losing control of their lives through gambling to get in touch us and help shape a bespoke package to roll out across Wales.

– Wynford Ellis Owen, Beat The Odds
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