Gambling online among pensioners rose by half in lockdown
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Gambling online among pensioners rose by more than half during lockdown as they were unable to go about their normal activities, research suggests.
In the year to September 2019, 1,049,241 over-65s gambled online at least once a month in Britain, but this increased to 1,674,618 in the year to September 2021, a 60 per cent rise.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists, which analysed figures from the Gambling Commission, said thousands of over-65s could be at risk of developing a gambling disorder.
The number of people who gamble online at least once a month has increased overall since 2019, the College said.
But the largest increase was among the over-65s cohort, followed by 45-54-year-olds, with a rise of more than 340,000 people gambling online.
Among the youngest cohort, 16-34-year-olds, online gambling fell by around 307,000 over the same period, the research found.
The closure of betting shops during the pandemic was partly to blame for the increase in online gambling among older people, as well as “limited opportunities” available during lockdowns, the college said.
Professor Henrietta Bowden Jones OBE, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “The pandemic has shaken our lives in so many ways and these data show that many more older people are gambling online than were before the start of the pandemic.
“Not everyone who gambles will develop a gambling disorder, but some will. Gambling disorder is an illness and if left untreated can lead to significant depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
“The new information published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists will help anyone who’s worried about their gambling or knows someone whose gambling is becoming a problem.”
The college has released new resources for people to spot the signs of problem gambling and get help.
