Yorkshire and the Humber has the worst rate in Britain for problem gambling a shock new survey has revealed.

Almost 80,000 people described as “problem gamblers” in the region.

Problem gambling is gambling to a degree that compromises, disrupts or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits and figures suggest 1.8% of adults aged 16 and older can be classified as problem gamblers.

A further 4.2% of adults, 185,000 people, meet some of the criteria for being classed as a problem gambler, suggesting they are experiencing some of the negative effects of gambling and may be at risk of becoming problem gamblers.

Adults in Yorkshire and the Humber were among the most likely to have taken part in gambling, excluding playing the National Lottery, with 48% of people spending money on other gambling activities in the past 12 months, according to a report from NatCen Social Research.

When playing the National Lottery is included, 64% of adults had gambled in the previous year.

One in 10 people in Yorkshire and the Humber, 10%, played bingo offline in the previous year, the second highest rate in the UK, and nearly double the UK average of 6%.

People in the region were the most likely to play slot machines, with 10% having done so in the previous year, and the most likely to bet on horse races offline with 15% doing so in the previous year.

However, adults in Yorkshire and the Humber are among the most likely in the UK to have gambled online in the previous year, with one in 10, (10%), having done so.

The number of adult problem gamblers in Great Britain is approximately 430,000 based on two common ways of identifying the problem.

As well as this, another 1.4m people were identified as low-risk gamblers and 550,000 were identified as moderate-risk gamblers, according to a report by NatCen Social Research.

People with gambling problems often experience a range of negative effects, including health issues, relationship breakdown, and difficulties with debt.

In more severe cases gambling problems can lead to crime, thoughts of suicide or suicide itself.