Pleas from problem gamblers to be barred surge by 50%

Pleas to be barred under the betting industry’s “self-exclusion” scheme surged by 50 per cent, figures obtained by The Sun reveal.

The total topped 1.1million — up by 330,000 on 2015 and double the number in 2014.

Paddy Power received the most requests at almost 200,000, followed by William Hill at 85,000 and Ladbrokes at 53,000.

Online casino operator Bear Group, the official provider of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent Games, dealt with 35,000 “self-exclusion incidents”.

“

“

The Gambling Commission said it showed the industry is taking betting addiction seriously

”

Its spokesman Ben Glass said: “Self-exclusion is an important tool for those people that recognise they have a problem with gambling.

“We require operators to take all reasonable steps to prevent those that have decided to self-exclude from gambling and receiving marketing material.”

“

“

Figures obtained by The Sun also show a staggering rise in the number of incidents where punters tried to breach their ban

”

Some 304,959 attempts to bet again after being self-excluded were logged last year — up from 120,729 in 2015.

Marc Etches, of ­Gamble­Aware, said: “We encourage everyone to be open and to talk about their gambling habits and to set personal limits for themselves.”

“These things help to identify any risky behaviour before it develops into a serious problem.”

The startling figures follow a Gambling Commission report this month that found 78% of punters felt there were too many opportunities to bet in Britain these days.

It also found almost half of British people admit to gambling - up 3% on last year.