of problem gambling, responsible gambling council in other parts of the world, kind of saying that they have seen an increase in people approaching them. to add to that, the kind of regulation of gambling around the world. what we now see is gambling brands presented in commonplace.areas that we have never seen before. 0n sports merchandising, sports shirts you watch a football game, and certainly if you are watching a football match in the uk, i doubt very much you will find any ground that doesn t have some form of gambling advertising. but we also have gambling brands now sponsoring entertainment shows. and when you look at daytime television, who is your main audience there? women, yeah. gambling completely took over caroline s life. she got into debt, lost work and it destroyed her relationships. she says it got to the point that she didn t see a future any more. when you re a gambling addict, or compulsive gambler, there is no fun in it.
sorry. when they first start they tend to have the doors closed. harp is the manager of the centre. she has a background in psychotherapy and has worked with victims of trafficking and modern slavery, as well as people who have struggled with addiction. she and the other staff here support the women throughout their stay, which initially includes a complete detox from gambling. we limit access to phones, to the outside world, so all the stresses of the outside world is kind of gone. we limit access to money, we limit access to any kind of online services, so they can t gamble. and what that week does, is it allows everybody to kind of sit in reality like, this is who i am. very, very, very uncomfortable place for some people. the number of women seeking help for gambling in the uk has more than doubled in the past five years, according to figures from the charity gamble aware. the availability of betting and casino games on smartphones has transformed the industry. experts like chris
but i m winning! adverts often present in aspirational, glamorous lifestyle. $25 on the house. ..and are targeted at a younger demographic who are more tech savvy, but potentially more at risk. your casino is always with you. at betano, all your favourite slots, plus blackjack, roulette and baccarat with live dealers. in certain countries where, culturally, there would be even more of a stigma attached to women in gambling, i just wonder what the impact of that is. i think it s shifting, and we ve got that kind of generational rift. the older generation i think in emerging economies, so there s kind of south america, africa, parts of asia, the older generation would definitely not gamble, or if they did, it would be acceptable forms of gambling such as bingo linked to kind of churches and charitable causes, or in places like india, it wouldn t be poker, it might be rummy or the aunties who do rummy, little kind of tournaments and stuff. in places like africa, you have card games, but
because i was so sick of the flashing lights, everything popping up, that actually it was boring me. i was getting to the point where i was gambling and it was boring, but i had to do it because that side of my brain was going gamble, gamble, gamble and when i couldn t, i would feel like i was physically withdrawing from that. was it impacting your relationship with your kids as well? yeah, soifeel like. i mean, for a long time, i was never that active mum that they deserved. i loved them, you know, but i wasn t able to, i was so consumed by addiction, just little things like they were playing, i was never actively there. i was in the phone screen, gambling money. what was it like leaving your children for five weeks to come here? it s so hard being in here, and you ve got a baby at home that s poorly. and they re saying to you, i want a cuddle, and you can t. ..
was like day to day? so i have always, like, had a bit well, a massive problem with drink, so i was always in the pub, playing fruit machines, in the bookies. it wasn t until i was about 30 and i started doing it online, online slots, and itjust got out of hand rapidly. and very quickly. i was taking out payday loans, quite soon, and i kept it all secret for years from my missus. at the end it would be, if i had money in my account, i would go to work, in between everyjob i would be gambling. i started taking my phone into the bathroom with me when i was having a bath and things like that. so how many rooms are there upstairs. she ended up going through