Those with gambling related problems in South Wales can take advantage of a new three- year pilot project. Addiction Recovery Agency's (ARA) in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Merthyr Tydfil will provide advice and raise awareness of gambling related problems.

The new service in South Wales is funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund, which is supported by a voluntary levy on the gaming industry.

ARA claimed that gambling addiction was a hidden problem that was increasing and the charity would help local people.

"Many people in the advice and helping professions are unaware of the signs of problem gambling so those needing help often go unnoticed," said ARA chief executive Peter Walker.

"The new service launched in Cardiff today will aim to raise awareness of problem gambling and offer help to sufferers at an early stage."

Walker added that the ARA had spent the last 25 years providing support and treatment to people with addiction problem.

Reports suggest that there is an estimated 3,300 people in Cardiff alone that would be considered to be pathological gamblers. The ARA will be working with other partners to deliver the service in South Wales, such as with the Pen yr Enfys charity in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Director of Pen yr Enfys, Steve James, which helps people overcome drug and alcohol abuse, said addictions were "similar across the whole spectrum of problems".

"It will be short-term intervention rather than long-term support. They would have a number of counselling-type sessions to get them to understand how serious their situation is," he added.

"If they need longer-term support, there's other parts of our organisation and other organisations to do that.

"This is the initial stimulus go get people back on their feet."

A gambling intervention worker has now been recruited at Pen Yr Enfys in Cardiff.

The pilot project has been established following UK-wide research which suggests gambling is on the increase.

Professor Leighton Vaughan Williams, director of the betting research unit at Nottingham Business School, claimed gambling problems could affect people from any background.

"Although it's a very small proportion of people that have a problem, it can be anybody,

"People think it's just young men or unemployed but that's not the case as it can be men, women, wealthy, poor, anybody.

"They really need to seek help if they find it's becoming a problem with their family relationships or it's creating financial problems."

Williams added the popularity of betting online was not necessarily a problem but it was more to do with the types of gambling people took part in.

"There are certain types of gambling that are associated with a problem - quick-repeat gaming machines where you can lose your money quickly," he said.

"The National Lottery or betting on horses or football is less likely to be associated [with problems] because it's not so quick repeat."

Williams also suggested that UK based operators were regulated by the Gambling Commission, however online operators based offshore were regulated by authorities where standards were not necessarily so high.