Every local authority in England has a gambling policy which must be reviewed every three years
‘Gambling heat maps’ are set to be introduced in one part of Merseyside and will be used to locate areas of increased risk where residents may be ‘vulnerable to gambling harm’.
Knowsley Council held a cabinet meeting tonight at Huyton’s Municipal Buildings to make decisions on a range on topics including the review of the borough’s gambling policy. Every local authority in England has a gambling policy which must be reviewed every three years and councillors were asked to approve the updated guidelines and proposals.
Gambling policies generally deal with applications for gambling licenses and certain gambling activities, but Knowsley Council has also made provision for a public consultation which included considerations to public health and well-being.
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The council’s report on the gambling policy was presented by Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, cllr Shelley Powell who detailed some of the new aspects incorporated for 2024/27. Cllr Powell said: “One significant and important change to the existing policy is the addition of a gambling heat map.
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“This is intended to help the council and partners assess the existing profile of an area as we add more information, such as public health data. The heat map will be used to identify local areas where there is a greater concentration of people who may be vulnerable to gambling harm. These areas will be given special attention with resources targeted to assist individuals who have gambling problems.”
According to the council report, age, deprivation, educational achievement, gender and ethnicity are all factors that can influence rates of gambling and gambling harm and as such the aim of an area profile is to build up a picture of the locality and its demographics.
Within the borough of Knowsley, rates of gambling harm are broadly similar to the rest of the country, but that are some risk factors particular to places like Knowsley because of the high levels of deprivation. For example, it is known that those who are unemployed or economically inactive are more likely to experience problem gambling – the significance for Knowsley being that it has a higher proportion of people unemployed or economically inactive (24.3%) compared with the England average (20.5%).
Knowsley Council hopes the implementation of the gambling heat map will reduce gambling harm in the borough and also support gambling operators to address any increased risks of harm associated with gambling premises located in areas of concern.
