The share of gambling addicts in debt counseling is large. Several municipalities have informed Omroep Brabant about this. Valkenswaard estimates that up to 30 percent of people in debt counseling also have a gambling problem. In Hilvarenbeek, they therefore want to ban outdoor advertising for gambling companies by 2023. That advertising has been legal since last year, but Tilburg also decided earlier to ban the posters from public space.
Not everywhere is it recorded how many people in debt counseling (also) have problems with gambling. But many municipalities are now convinced that gambling debts are a major problem. The fact that online gambling has become legal since October last year and that it can also be advertised is a problem for municipalities.
30 percent debtors gamble
The municipality of Etten-Leur says that about 5 percent of the people who receive debt counseling also have a gambling debt. In Meierijstad they do not have exact figures, but they do see that online gambling ‘is becoming more and more common’ among people who report to debt counseling. Other municipalities paint a similar picture.
In Valkenswaard, the share of gamblers with debts is even greater. “The debt counseling team thinks that this concerns 20 to 30 percent of the customers, so this is an estimate,” said a spokesperson.
Ban
Despite these figures, most municipalities are not considering banning outdoor advertising. In some places it would be okay with gambling advertising in public spaces, others indicate that they follow the national rules that allow gambling advertising.
If not in Hilvarenbeek, they are not at all happy there with the loud posters in bus shelters, for example. “Although gambling is legal, we do not consider outdoor advertising desirable for this in our municipality,” a spokesperson said. “We are therefore considering a ban before 2023 because we also expect that (extra) many people will end up in debt due to gambling problems.”
Both Moerdijk and Eindhoven are keeping a low profile: a ban is not ‘yet’ under discussion.
ALSO READ:
Gambling advertisements cause difficult moments for ex-addict Hessel (22)
Outdoor advertising for gambling companies banned in Tilburg from 2023