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Gambling on credit cards banned
Local News
G
Time to re-
classify GHB,
ACMD told
THE HOME SECRETARY has written
to the ACMD requesting an ‘urgent
review’ of the classification of GHB
and related compounds following
the case of Reynhard Sinaga, who
is thought to have used the drug
to carry out almost 140 rapes. In
light of the case – and those of
murderers Stephen Port and Gerald
Motovu – the ACMD should consider
the classification of GHB and GBL
to reflect their potential harms,
says Priti Patel in a letter to council
chair Owen Bowden-Jones. While
GBL is a class C substance, its use
in industrial processes means it is
legal to import, produce and supply.
‘Given the extreme severity of these
cases, and the potential for misuse,
I request that the council urgently
expedites the consideration of these
substances,’ the letter states.
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM
Special support
Open Road has secured
funding from the Tampon
Tax Fun to deliver women-
only workshops in Essex
to support women leaving
prison. ‘With the right
approach, vulnerable
women can feel valued –
sometimes for the first time
in their lives – and can turn
their lives around’, said CEO
Sarah Wright.
ambling businesses will
no longer be allowed
to let customers
use credit cards to
gamble, the Gambling
Commission has announced. The ban
will apply to both online and offline
gambling products, and will come into
effect on 14 April, although people
will still be able to buy lottery tickets
or scratchcards in shops alongside
other purchases.
The move follows a public
consultation along with a Gambling
Commission review of online gambling
and a government review of gaming
machines. According to banking
trade association UK Finance, around
800,000 people use credit cards to
gamble, while Gambling Commission
research shows that more than a fifth
of online gamblers who use their
credit cards are classed as problem
gamblers. More than 10m UK adults
currently engage in some form of
online gambling. All online gambling
operators will also be compelled to
participate in the GAMSTOP scheme
by the end of March, the commission
added, which allows customers to
self-exclude from online operators with
a single request rather than requesting
each operator individually.
‘The ban that we have announced
today should minimise the risks of
harm to consumers from gambling
with money they do not have,’ said
Gambling Commission chief executive
Neil McArthur. ‘Research shows that
22 per cent of online gamblers using
credit cards are problem gamblers,
with even more suffering some form
of gambling harm. ’
Around 800,000
people use credit
cards to gamble,
and of those
more than a fifth
are classed as
problem gamblers
Positive perceptions
Cornish charity Harbour
Housing, which supports
people to recover from
homelessness and addiction
(DDN, October 2019, page
10), has been named
Charity of the Year at the
South West Business and
Community Awards. The
award demonstrated a
‘positive shift in public
opinion towards schemes
like this being more widely
accepted and understood,’
said staff member Emily Hill.
Scots sales down after
minimum unit pricing
THE VOLUME of off-trade alcohol
sales in Scotland dropped by 3.6
per cent in the year following the
introduction of minimum unit
pricing (MUP), according to NHS
Health Scotland. The first analysis
of sales over a full year since MUP
came into force in May 2018 shows
that the volume of pure alcohol sold
per adult fell to 7.1 litres compared
to 7.4 litres in the 12 months before
implementation, while the volume
sold in England and Wales increased
from 6.3 to 6.5 litres. Sales of cider
fell the most, at almost 19 per cent,
while sales of spirits fell by just under
4 per cent. Sales trends in the North
East and North West of England,
meanwhile, were found to be largely
the same as in the rest of England
and Wales, meaning it was unlikely
that large numbers of people were
crossing the border to buy cheaper
alcohol, the study states.
The first analysis
of sales over a full
year since MUP
came into force in
May 2018 shows
that off-trade
alcohol sales in
Scotland dropped
by 3.6 per cent
Stronger together
Evaluating the impact of
minimum unit pricing (MUP) on sales-
based consumption in Scotland at
www.healthscotland.scot
Devon-based charity EDP
will become a subsidiary
of Humankind from April,
the organisations have
announced. ‘EDP puts its
service users at the heart
of every decision,’ said chief
executive Penny Blackmore.
‘Joining Humankind offers
unrivalled opportunities to
innovate our service design
and delivery for the benefit
of everyone accessing our
support.’
FEBRUARY 2020 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 5