The Church of Scotland has joined other churches and Christian charities in urging the UK Government to act now to reduce the harm caused by gambling.

In their submissions to the Review of the 2005 Gambling Act, they are calling on politicians to treat gambling regulation as a public health issue.

The Very Rev Dr Susan Brown, convener of the Church of Scotland’s Faith Impact Forum said: “The harms of gambling have increased dramatically since the 2005 Gambling Act was passed, with the introduction of online gambling and new products which were not anticipated 15 years ago.

“That is why we are calling on the UK Government to work with the Scottish Government to act decisively and urgently to tackle these harms. We are asking for gambling advertising to be banned or substantially reduced, along with greater protections for children.

“The UK Government should also require the gambling industry to pay for treatment, independent research, education and awareness campaigns that highlight gambling-related harm.”

The Churches and charities issued a joint statement ahead of the consultation deadline in April, calling for the devolved and UK governments to adopt a public health approach to problem gambling.

It also called for gambling companies to be required to implement measures aimed at reducing the harm caused by gambling, including caps on expenditure or losses; for advertising on gambling to be dramatically reduced or banned; and for a compulsory levy on the industry to be used to fund treatment for gambling addiction, education and public information campaigns.

The statement said: “Gambling related harms affect families, communities, colleagues and friends as well as individuals, and can cause mental and physical ill health, indebtedness, family breakdown and most tragically may even result in suicide…

“As Churches and charities, we urge Government to act immediately to prevent further gambling related harm.”