Gambling should be recognised as a form of addiction and treatment for it provided by the NHS, doctors’ leaders said in a report published yesterday.

Britain faces a surge in gambling as opportunities to place bets increase, the British Medical Association cautioned. The Gambling Act will come into force in September, at a time when online gambling is expanding fast.

There are estimated to be 300,000 problem gamblers in Britain, but research has shown that the more gambling there is, the more problem gambling.

The report, Gambling Addiction and its Treatment within the UK, comes from the BMA’s Board of Science. It calls for particular attention to adolescent gamblers, and suggests that slot machine gambling should be limited to over-18s.

Slot machines with a low payout have no age restriction but there are fears that relaxed gaming laws will lead to a surge in young addicts.

“Adolescent gambling is related to other delinquent behaviours” the report said.

Donations by the gaming industry to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT), set up to help addicts, were insufficient, the report said and argued that NHS addiction treatment should be funded from gambling-derived revenue or through the RIGT.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: “Anybody who seeks help from the NHS will be offered support and, if necessary, treatment.”