Gambling harm claims

The topic of gambling harm is an area of ever-growing public concern and remains high on the political agenda as the new Labour Government seeks to implement a range of much-needed reforms to the Gambling Act 2005, following the publication of the Gambling White Paper in 2023. 

Gambling has changed almost beyond recognition in the two decades since the Gambling Act came into force. A casino can now be accessed from your pocket 24/7 and the UK betting and gaming industry is booming, generating profits in excess of £15 billion in the year to March 2023. But hiding behind the industry’s narrative that gambling is ‘just a bit of fun’, provided it is done responsibly, is a world of harm: hundreds of gambling-related suicides in the UK per year, over a million adults in Great Britain estimated to be ‘at risk’ or ‘problem gamblers’ in 2021, and an estimated cost to the government associated with harmful gambling of over £400 million per year. 

We have seen many examples of this harm, and of how it can be caused by the industry’s practices and the ‘responsible gambling’ narrative which it puts forward, in our work, including in the inquests into the deaths of Jack Ritchie and Luke Ashton. 

In addition to representing bereaved families at inquests, we receive numerous enquiries from individuals who have suffered harm as a result of a gambling and would like to bring a claim against a gambling operator because they feel they were targeted by a stream of marketing messages, bonuses and rewards, while the operator took no meaningful steps to intervene in their gambling as it escalated.  

The leading authority in respect of claims in negligence against gambling operators is the case of Calvert v William Hill, dating from 2008, in which the High Court held that, where certain criteria are met, a duty of care can be owed by a licensing operator to a customer who suffers harm from gambling. We believe that, in light of the very significant changes which have occurred since the case of Calvert was decided, with the boom of online gambling and the practices of the modern-day gambling industry, the duty of care found to exist in Calvert, can be relied  upon, and possibly  built upon, to provide redress for individuals who suffer harm due to a gambling operator’s negligence.

For many people, the harm which they suffer as a result goes far beyond financial harm and can include the development or exacerbation of recognized psychiatric disorders such as gambling disorder and depression. For many people, the consequences of the harm which they suffer due to gambling can include far-reaching impacts on their ability to work, their family relationships and all aspects of their lives. 

If you feel that you have suffered harm as a result of the conduct of a gambling operator and are interested in exploring bringing a claim against the operator, please get in touch with our team by filling in our form.