Who gambles online? 3.5 million Britons do...

According to British Gambling Commission, some 3.5 million Britons make a regular habit of gambling online. Over five years, the number marked a six-fold increase, states The Daily Telegraph on Thursday.

The commission states about 7% of regular players are "problem gamblers," whose personal lives have suffered as a result of addictions to Internet poker, online casinos, and other Internet gambling games.A review was ordered of the gambling companies that will analyze the possibility of forcing them to pay an "addict tax" to help problem gamblers get out of debt and seek treatment according to British Culture Minister Gerry Sutcliffe.

"While the results show that problem gambling still only affects a small minority of people, it remains a serious issue, and one which must be addressed," he said.

It has been asked by Sutcliffe for the Gambling Commission to review the current voluntary arrangements for industry funding of gambling research, treatment and public education. I expect the Commission's review to include comment on funding levels, how the money is spent, and whether a statutory levy should be considered.