New figures show that more than half of adults in the UK engage in gambling activities.
The Health Survey of England, which sampled the lifestyles of 10,000 adults and children, showed that 53 per cent of adults had participated in gambling activities during 2018.
Excluding the National Lottery, the survey showed that 39 per cent of adults gambled in some form – including 56 per cent of men aged between 25 and 34.
And a total of 15 per cent of men had participated in online gambling across the 12-moth period, compared to four per cent of women.
Men aged between 16 and 24 were most likely to be problem gamblers, with rates of 1.9 per cent, compared to 0.4 per cent of the general population.
NHS CEO Simon Stevens said: “These new stats are a stark reminder of how common gambling is in our society and how easy it is to become addicted, particularly with the aggressive push into online gambling.
“It is high time that all these firms who spend many millions on marketing and advertising step up to the plate and take their responsibilities seriously.”
