London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2025

UK military under fire over ‘secret epidemic’ among troops

UK military under fire over ‘secret epidemic’ among troops

The British military leadership has found itself in hot water for reportedly ignoring gambling addiction among the country’s armed forces after they refused to remove betting machines installed in army barracks.
Over the past month, there has been a growing outcry among MPs over the lack of action from the Ministry of Defence regarding concerns about the presence of hundreds of slot machines in military bases, according to the Daily Mail. The betting terminals are thought to put the financial and mental well-being of homesick soldiers at risk.

Last week, Annabel Goldie, a junior defence minister, walked back comments about the British Army being in the process of removing these machines. She had told a House of Lords committee examining the Armed Forces Bill earlier this month that the removal had begun, but was “not yet complete.”

“It beggars belief that, given all the evidence of the incredible harm caused, the Army is still refusing to ban these machines from military bases,” Tory MP Richard Holden, a member of the public accounts committee, told the paper.

A recent study on the UK Armed Forces found that veterans were nearly 11 times more likely than civilians to develop a gambling addiction. However, the MoD has continued to withhold from MPs the number of betting machines housed in bases, or divulge if the military is profiting from its troops.

Although rules, known as the Queen’s Regulations, ban “all forms of gambling and bookmaking” in service barracks and vessels, the machines are exempted under a provision that gives a unit’s commanding officer the discretion to allow “lottery, sweepstakes or other gambling.”

Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans who represents the Church of England on gambling matters, told the Daily Mail he was “gravely disappointed” with the government for having “reversed their previous promise to remove gambling machines from Army bases.”

Smith has tabled an amendment to the bill due to the MoD “not taking gambling-related harm in the military community sufficiently seriously” and claiming to have “seen no evidence...suggesting that serving personnel are more prone to problem gambling than any other group in society.”

Meanwhile, Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who chairs an all-party parliamentary group on gambling harm, voiced concerns about a “secret epidemic of gambling addiction in our Forces.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×