Jack Ritchie was still at school when he had his first big gambling win. It was the start of an addiction to betting that would cause devastation to his family. As Jenny Kleeman tells Anushka Asthana, problem gambling among children is rife in Britain and is causing untold harm.
Ritchie’s parents, Liz and Charles, now run a charity called Gambling With Lives. They estimate there could be up to 650 gambling-related suicides every year in the UK. Many of those will have started gambling as children.
This year the NHS opened its first clinic for child gambling addicts, but families are continuing to count the cost of a culture awash with opportunities and enticements to place high-stakes bets
Photograph: John Lamb/Getty Images
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