NHS addiction clinics are treating a rising number of compulsive crypto traders as young men fall victim to get-rich-quick schemes. Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said online cryptocurrency exchanges are a new frontier for gambling addiction. Investors buy currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum in the hope their value will rise and they can sell for mega profits.
The tokens can also be used to bet on sports without checks and balances. One in 10 Brits now hold cryptocurrency in online wallets but regulation is lax. Men younger than 35 are estimated to make up about 40 per cent of the market and be at highest risk of addiction.
For some, cryptocurrency dealing becomes an addiction and takes over their life Speaking at an NHS conference in Manchester on Wednesday, Ms Pritchard said: “This year the NHS opened a 15th specialist centre for gambling addiction, responding to a real and growing social need. “Ever more opportunities are springing up for younger people to get addicted to gambling . “They include, as I heard from staff when I visited the National Problem Gambling clinic earlier this year, on unregulated cryptocurrency markets.
“The addictive habit sees people investing their own money in something with no fixed value, with the NHS left to pick up the pieces. “This growing problem could create further demand for the health service. “As a society we need to ask if we are okay to just continue picking up the pieces while the methods of keeping .
