A REVIEW of Oldham's gambling policy aims to provide a "wider network" of support for residents struggling with addictions to betting.

Town hall bosses want to ensure that help is more accessible to people whose lives are being blighted by excessive gambling.

The announcement follows the resignation of Sports Minister Tracey Crouch over delays to a reduction of the maximum stakes of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) to £2, down from £100.

The new town hall measures were prompted by a motion passed at full council in July, which agreed the council should be regarded as a "responsible authority" by ensuring "problem" gamblers and young people are provided with additional safeguards.

As part of that, the main resolution was to make sure that information is made accessible on its website to signpost residents with a problem to the relevant services.

And all schools, colleges and youth centres in the borough are made aware of the online Gambling Toolkit produced by GambleAware.

The updated policy was discussed by members of the borough's licensing committee, ahead of it being presented again to full council in December.

Trading standards and licensing manager, John Garforth told the meeting: "What we have done for the first time this year is to work with our public health colleagues to look at gambling related harm.

"What we have been doing recently is speaking to public health and providers who can assist people who have got problem gambling with a local solution.

"Whilst there is a gamblers' anonymous in Oldham, we haven't got a wider network as you may for say for drugs and alcohol. We haven't got that wide network for professionals who support problem gamblers.

"We're hoping to have something along those lines set up next year."

He told councillors that he was aware of licensed premises where staff know the individuals who gamble frequently, and make them "cups of tea", but don't help them stop excessive betting.

"It's a high end game that brings the industry a lot of money but also maintains that there are people out there who can't control their gambling habits," he said.

"The borough in this way is supporting those problem gamblers in accepting there is a problem and as a council we will do what we can whilst regulating the trade to support those who fall foul of gambling and need that support to get them help.

"There are some really sad cases, there has been suicides as a result of people who have gambled and really come off the rails.

"You do see operators that don't consider their social responsibility aspect carefully enough and encourage to some degree the proliferation of problem gamblers in their premises, and don't educate them as they are supposed to do, to support them and say, actually "have you got a problem?"."

Councillor Elaine Garry asked if any measures could be put in place to help people who gamble on machines in pubs, saying that she had watched a 'young lad' in Failsworth spend 'a few hours' putting pounds into a machine.

Mr Garforth replied that, on the whole, the focus had been on licensed gambling premises, rather than pubs, but that advice leaflets and posters could be distributed to venues with gambling machines.

Cllr Garry said: "It's just not in the trade's interest for them to come out of the system."

Committee chair, Cllr Norman Briggs added: "It's crocodile tears on behalf of the industry, that's all it is."

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