Ministers were last night accused of ignoring calls for an advertising drive on the dangers of problem gambling outlined in one of their own reports.

The Scottish Executive last year published a weighty investigation into the social costs of the rise and rise of the gaming industry.

The report, written by Glasgow University academic Gerda Reith, made clear recommendations on the need for a public awareness campaign on the scale of the executive's public warnings on smoking, drinking and drugs.

Dr Reith yesterday demanded to know why her advice had been ignored. "I always assume that when a report comes out there will be some action. When that doesn't happen - when there is not even any debate - you feel people are not paying the right kind of attention.

"The important thing that came out of the report is that problem gambling is very difficult to treat when it becomes pathological. An awareness campaign would prevent a lot of money being spent in the long term on treatment."

Dr Reith's report, Research on the Social Impact of Gambling, was published by the executive last September as Glasgow forged ahead with its failed bid to host Britain's only supercasino.

But she believes the debate on gambling has focused far too much on a single venue - the supercasino will now be in Manchester - and neglected other far more accessible ways for would-be punters to have a flutter. Casinos account for just 3% of betting.

Slot machines or fixed-odds betting terminals have mushroomed in pubs, clubs and betting shops in recent years, with jackpots far bigger than the change that used to spill out of old-time "puggies" or one-armed bandits. Online gambling is thought to be growing fast too.

Dr Reith does not oppose betting. She simply believes the public, who, especially after the gradual liberalisation brought in since the National Lottery was launched in 1994, need to know of its potential dangers. Crucially, public information campaigns, she argues, have helped reduce the social costs of increased gambling elsewhere.

She added: "The supercasino has been a bit of a distraction from the real debate. There will, after all, only be one of them."

The executive, meanwhile, stressed gaming laws were the responsibility of Westminster, not Holyrood. Its spokeswoman focused largely on the prospect of a supercasino, despite Dr Reith regarding that debate as something of a sideshow.

The spokeswoman said: "If any future new casino development was to be located in Scotland, we will monitor the impacts of such a development very carefully.

"Gambling law, and therefore the public communication of those laws, is a reserved area of responsibility."

Shona Robison, the SNPs spokeswoman on health, yesterday saw no reason why a public education campaign, or even a national strategy on problem gambling, should not be launched in Scotland just because Westminster was in charge of the licensing regime.

She said: "Dr Reith's report made clear recommendations.

"It's disappointing the executive has chosen to treat it with disregard. It is just passing the back to make it Westminster's responsibility."

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