The NHS should provide treatment for gambling addiction in an attempt to offset the predicted growth in the problem with the creation of supercasinos, doctors said today.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said the expected rise in the number of addicts following changes to gambling legislation this autumn could pose a serious social problem as there were currently "almost no treatment services".
In a report published today, the association called for gambling operators and providers to pay at least £10m a year to fund treatment on the NHS. There are an estimated 300,000 problem gamblers in the UK.
The BMA's head of science and ethics, Vivienne Nathanson, said: "Problem gambling is associated with a number of health problems and the BMA is concerned that there are insufficient treatment facilities available."
She said psychological problems could include anxiety, depression, guilt and suicidal thoughts. Relationships with family and friends could also be affected by gambling, sometimes leading to separation and divorce.
"There needs to be treatment for problem gambling available on the NHS similar to drug and alcohol services," Dr Nathanson said. "The BMA is calling on the gaming industry to pay at least £10m per annum to fund research, prevention and intervention programmes."
The BMA also said ministers needed to review slot machine gambling to see whether it should be restricted to over-18s.
It warned that adolescent gambling was "a cause for concern" and associated with "other delinquent behaviours".
A previous study of more than 8,000 adolescents found that 17% played fruit machines at least once a week, and that the problem was worse among young men. Other research showed that up to 6% of adolescent fruit machine players were "pathological gamblers".
Today's report said: "This figure is at least two to three times higher than that identified in adult populations. On this evidence, young people are clearly more vulnerable to the negative consequences of gambling than adults."
The report's other recommendations include giving gamblers of any age ready access to information on getting help, and "screening" people for a possible gambling problem if they were being treated for another addiction, such as alcohol or drugs.
The study comes after a leaked police report warned that supercasinos risked boosting crime and antisocial behaviour, and luring "vulnerable groups" such as children into gambling.
The independent Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) will announce the location of Britain's first supercasino later this month.
