are a missed opportunity. the uk is now the world s biggest gambling market, with punters spending almost £10 billion last year, two thirds of that online. the bbc s culture editor katie razzall reports. the beautiful game and gambling are intertwined. 0nline betting is embedded in our sporting culture. fun and a flutter for the majority, some, though, have had their lives destroyed. smartphones can be a casino in your pocket and the laws need to catch up. the government plans a statutory levy or charge on the gambling firms to pay for education, nhs addiction treatment and research. reformers have won new affordability checks. the gambling commission will consult on two types of checks, with stricter plans for younger people, but there are no plans to tighten up controls on sports advertising, with a consultation on some marketing. that s not enough for annie ashton, whose husband, luke, took his own life after struggling with gambling addiction.
and a consultation on new limits to stakes for the digital version of slot machines. our culture editor katie razzall reports. the beautiful game and gambling are intertwined. 0nline betting is embedded in our sporting culture, a transformation since the last major changes to gambling laws and a subject that divides opinion. if i want to spend a tenner on a football game, that is down to me it s my preference, i know how much i earn and how much i got left so it should be up to me, not the government. all the things on the big screens inside grounds advertising gambling are making people poorer and companies richer. i don t think it s an issue, - gambling, unless you re an addict. smartphones can be a casino in your pocket and the law to catch up under the government planned a statutory levy or charge and gambling firms to pay for nhs
the government s expected to announce how it will reform betting laws. it ll be the first significant change to legislation for 18 years and much has changed in the industry over that time. our culture and media editor katie razzall has this report. and it s in! the beautiful game and gambling. it s in the stadiums. it s on the shirts. 0nline betting is now embedded in british culture. instant access to a casino thanks to the smartphone. fun or exploitation? it depends who you are. out of interest, have any of you gambled before? just put your hand up if you ve gambled or if you gamble. james grimes has questions for students at the ua92 in manchester, the university set up by former footballer gary neville. james hasn t put a bet on for almost five years, but when he did, he tells them, it got out of hand. i had 20 payday loans, i owed every single person i knew money. i had the bailiffs coming round. james has invited us in for this workshop,
the head of an nhs service for gamblers says the opportunity to bet online. including on sport, has created a significant public health crisis and claims a new strategy is needed to help people who are addicted. it comes as the government is preparing to publish the biggest proposed changes in gambling laws since the advent of the smartphone almost 20 years ago. including some that could affect some of football s most lucrative sponsorship deals. our culture editor katie razall reports. at the beautiful game and gambling. it is in the stadiums. and the shirts. 0nline betting is now embedded in british culture. instant access to a casino thanks to the smartphone. fun exploitation, depends on who you are. = if smartphone. fun exploitation, depends on who you are. - if you ambled depends on who you are. - if you gambled before depends on who you are. - if you gambled before because - depends on who you are. - if you gambled before because mike i depends on who you are. - if you i gamble
it s on the shirts. 0nline betting is now embedded in british culture. instant access to a casino thanks to the smartphone. fun or exploitation? it depends who you are. out of interest, have any of you gambled before? just put your hand up if you ve gambled or if you gamble. james grimes has questions for students at the ua92 in manchester, the university set up by former footballer gary neville. james hasn t put a bet on for almost five years, but when he did, he tells them, it got out of hand. i had 20 payday loans, i owed every single person i knew money. i had the bailiffs coming round. james has invited us in for this workshop, an insight into what the students think about gambling. they literally put it on shirts and it s influencing the younger generation to think it s normal. james tells me when he was gambling, he was on the minimum wage but treated like a celebrity. i was losing thousands of pounds with a gambling company