Harms of Gambling

That the Parliament welcomes recent comments by Pope Leo XIV condemning the harm caused by gambling and recognising its destructive impact on individuals, families and communities; notes the growing body of evidence linking gambling addiction to serious mental health harms, including anxiety, depression, relationship breakdown, financial hardship and, in some cases, suicide; further notes with concern what it sees as the extreme levels of profiteering within the gambling industry, exemplified, it considers, by the recently reported payout of around £260 million to Denise Coates, chief executive of Bet365, in the latest financial year; believes that such excessive rewards raise serious ethical questions about an industry that generates vast personal wealth from activities known to cause addiction and harm, often among the most vulnerable in society; recognises that the regulation of gambling remains largely reserved to the UK Parliament, and calls on the UK Government to tighten gambling regulation, including stronger controls on advertising and online gambling.