Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of problem gambling and gambling addiction on acquisitive crime.

I have not undertaken an assessment. The Modern Crime Prevention Strategy published in March 2016 sets out how we analyse and respond to crime through the consideration of six drivers of crime (opportunity, character, effectiveness of the criminal justice system, profit, drugs and alcohol). This includes looking at new and emerging trends in acquisitive crime where we work closely with the police and relevant industry leads.