New research recommends different approach to sentencing gambling-related crimes

A new report from Staffordshire University has called for a better understanding of problem gambling within the UK’s criminal justice system and for this to be reflected in the sentencing of those who have committed a crime. Researchers have suggested that although problem gambling is recognised as a mental health disorder, offending related to it is not being dealt with in an appropriate way by the courts. The inquiry discovered that problem gamblers typically turn to financial crime to maintain their addiction once all other assets have been exhausted and that any stolen finances are in turn consumed through gambling. According to the university report, a confiscation order in those circumstances disproportionately lands on families and actively hampers the rehabilitation of an individual suffering from gambling-related harm. Report author Sarah Page, a senior lecturer in sociology and criminology, said. “Our research with magistrates and stakeholders uncovered the need for sentencing guidance in England and Wales to be amended to acknowledge when gambling addiction is a mitigating factor in court cases and for the criminal justice system to better access effective treatment for those with gambling addiction. “Gambling-related crimes in our research were largely linked to theft, including theft from workplaces of up to hundreds of thousands of pounds and also domestic abuse. “Problem gambling also features as an issue raised in childcare disputes in family courts. Problem gambling is damaging to individuals and their wider communities. “We would like to see the government invest more into preventing gambling addiction in the first place and better supporting those with addictions,” she concluded. The report was produced in conjunction with the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Magistrates Association on behalf of the Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling, which has been investigating the links between problem gambling and crime over the past two years. This research also features on the government’s UK Gambling Commission action map.