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The number of people referred to a specialist gambling support charity has decreased during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, a meeting has heard.

At a meeting of Leeds City Councillors, it was asked how the Covid-19 pandemic had affected the numbers of people using the Leeds community gambling support service GamCare.

While officers did not have numbers of service users available, it was confirmed the number of individuals being referred to the service had gone down.

When asked whether the pandemic had put extra pressure on services, Leeds City Council entertainment licensing officer Sue Duckworth told a meeting of the authority’s Licensing Committee: “I attend several problem gambling meetings. I don’t have specific data – they have been operating through the lockdown but I believe referrals have gone down.

The numbers of people referred to the service for help has "gone down".

“They haven’t been able to do quite so much face to face stuff because of coronavirus, and I think that is having an impact.

“I am due to attend another problem gambling meeting shortly. We will get further data.”

The meeting was to discuss proposed changes to gambling laws, and has asked local authorities to provice evidence and feedback.

Referrals to problem gambling charity in Leeds ‘have gone down’ during pandemic