OVER three quarters of gambling premises in Bradford are found in the most deprived areas of the district.

A new report by Bradford Council reveals that many of the district's 83 gambling premises are located in the poorest areas of the city.

And at a meeting of the Council's Corporate Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, members will be urged to develop a profile of the district that will pinpoint which areas are most at risk of issues related with gambling.

A report being presented to the committee reveals that, despite the fact that thousands of people in the district are likely to be classed as "problem gamblers," there is no NHS or Council funded specialist treatment services for problem gambling in Bradford.

Rise in gambling businesses in Bradford

It adds: "Gambling is an activity which the majority of people can participate in without experiencing problems or risk of harm. However, some people can experience difficulties with their gambling behaviour. Problem gambling and gambling related harm can affect anyone at any time. Studies have shown gambling behaviour and problem gambling are not equally distributed across England, with higher rates for those living in wards classed as ‘industrial, traditional manufacturing and multi-cultural’."

There are currently y 83 gambling premises in Bradford, including three casinos, four bingo halls and 61 bookmakers. While many are in the city centre and town centres, others are concentrated in more deprived areas of Bradford.

A map presented to the committee shows the location of gambling premises in the district, compared to areas of Bradford ranked by index of multiple deprivation by the Office of National Statistics.

The report adds: "Gambling premises are often clustered in deprived neighbourhoods, near sources of credit such as payday lenders. This particularly impacts those who may already be financially excluded.

"In the Bradford district, 32.5 per cent of lower super output areas fall into the most deprived decile based on the national benchmark of index of multiple deprivation. There are 83 gambling premises in Bradford district of which 37 (44.5 per cent) are located in a LSOA in the most deprived decile and 65 (78.3 per cent) are located in a LSOA which is in the top three most deprived deciles."

There are estimates that between 2,500 and 7000 people in Bradford would be classed as problem gamblers.

The only locally provided specialist service for problem gamblers is Krysallis, which holds weekly sessions.

Last year the service dealt with 143 people.

If the committee agrees to develop a gambling "Local Area Profile", the Council will then produce a framework to try and raise awareness of gambling related harms, promote support organisations and direct problem gamblers to available treatment and referral pathways.

The committee meets in City Hall at 5.30pm.