Betting Disputes Go Up as Gambling Addicts Seek Legal Help

Ellis Jones Solicitors, a legal company formed seven years ago in the south-east of the UK says its betting disputes department has recouped £6 million ($7.48 million) since it first opened its doors to the clients. 

The firm’s evolution comes to prove the increasing gambling addiction problems in the industry as well as the ongoing growth of the niche sector.

£1M in A Single Compensation Payment 

The specialized betting and gaming disputes team which currently counts 14 employees has obtained compensation of £1 million ($1.24 million) in a single payment.

The company explains that roughly 9 in 10 cases they tackle are related to online gambling.

Also, the majority of Ellis Jones’ clients are represented by men in all age groups, with most of them in their 30s and 40s.

Many of the claims are tied to vulnerable gamblers who were allowed to bet on gambling websites even though their addiction issues were clear or at times when they were not able to sustain their gambling.

In one particular case from 2019, a 32-year-old man recovered £100,000 ($124,600). This amounted to 89% of the net losses he recorded. 

The law firm proved that the betting operator had breached the Gambling Commission’s social responsibility code since it did not provide the player with the necessary protection that he should have received as a vulnerable customer.

Women, Targeted Via Bingo-Style Platforms

The company also noticed a rise in the number of claims by women targeted by gambling operators, especially with the help of ads on bingo-style online platforms.

According to partner Paul Kanolik, “Some sites, apps, and adverts are now quite feminized and clearly aimed at women.”

Kanolik also explained the law firm has been “certainly acting more for women” while talking about the boost in the number of women targeted with gambling adverts in the past few years. 

The company, which counts a total of 178 staff members spread across six offices, has also warned about the problem potentially worsening because of the advent of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

The UK government published last year’s white paper on gambling regulation, stating 300,000 people in Britain are already dealing with problem gambling and an additional 1.8 million are at high risk of suffering from gambling addiction.

Kanolik also spoke about the “people who are tragically taking their own lives” because of this issue, as well as “those that are being ruined because of the mental health and financial impacts” and their relationships.

He added that, for each gambler, “there can be four, five, six or more other people affected too.”

The Gambling Commission has considered bringing an update to design rules aimed at online products regarding the illusion of player control, speed of play, and other similar features that could increase the risk of addiction. 

At the start of March, the Gambling Minister participated in the Gambling with Lives Parliamentary Forum where he discussed plans regarding potential changes that could be brought to the gambling industry, especially gambling harm treatment and prevention.