THE Moderator of the Church of Scotland has criticised the way gambling is becoming a "cool, normalised part of our culture" because of the massive increase in online betting and advertising.
The Right Reverend Lorna Hood, Moderator of the General Assembly of The Church of Scotland, warns of the dangers of families becoming more debt-ridden as a result of the increased accessibility of gambling online through tablets and mobile phones in her New Year message.
She also says the adverts offering easy loans with high interest rates are a concern.
In her message she states: "I am concerned we may be turning into a society with an ever increasing desire to acquire what we want, when we want it. Adverts during sports and other TV programmes encourage us to place bets using tablets and smart phones within arm's reach. Gambling has a long history, but we are now in an era where it is more accessible because of new technology and promoted more through mass advertising.
"The ads seek to present regular gambling as a cool, normalised part of our culture. Companies may become richer through this commerce. The danger is that individuals and their families simply become debt-ridden, with all the misery that entails.
"It is of little comfort that other adverts seem to suggest that it is pragmatic to solve financial problems by taking out loans with eye-watering interest rates."
The Scottish Health Survey, found that in 2012, 74% of men and 67% of women gambled, and 0.7% of adults - some 31,000 - were identified as problem gamblers.
It found that a further 3% of adults were at low risk of harm from their gambling behaviour and 1% were at moderate risk.
Remote and online gambling now make up most of the profit for the gambling industry.
The British gambling industry, generated a gross gaming yield of £6.3 billion between April 2012 and March 2013, a rise of 7% on the previous year.
The yield for global remote gambling, excluding telephone betting, was estimated at £21.08bn during 2012, a 5% increase on the previous year.
In 2012, excluding the national lottery, one in 12 adults in Scotland took part in online gambling. Around one in 10 adults took part in four or more different forms of gambling, with young men (particularly those aged 25-34), most likely to do so. The odds of being a problem gambler were 11.6 times higher for men than women.
Brian Wright, director of the Remote Gambling Association, said: "There is a perception that online gambling is growing vastly but in reality it plateaued around 2006 when a lot of people got involved in online poker. Online activity makes up only about 10% of gambling activity. Historically the profit margins have been high because servers could locate somewhere like Gibraltar and pay 1% tax but that will change this year as they are being forced back to the UK with a place of consumption tax.
"There is also a perception that advertising has increased. That is because before 2007, online gambling could not be advertised on television. Now it can so it has increased from nothing.
"The latest figures indicate there has been a decrease in problem gambling."
l The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev Justin Welby, has warned of a "change in attitude" towards the Christian faith but has said he is "extremely hopeful" for the future of the Church of England. He said although the Church was "falling in numbers" but there were also signs of growth in many places.
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