A Scottish charity that deals with gambling problems has suggested that the number of woman with problems has significantly increased as a result of mobile gaming. The RCA research shows alarming statistics with online bingo being a real concern. Experts are expecting the problems to get much worse.

The RCA Trust charity has seen a 15 percent increase in woman getting into debt through online bingo and poker. The latest smart phones are being blamed for the increase, which allows users to access online gambling sites while out an about.

The Trust which was established originally in 1977 to offer volunteer-led alcohol counselling in Paisley, Scotland provides gambling support throughout Scotland. The Trust said that is had been contacted by more than 200 woman, with many having debts of thousands of pounds as a result of online gambling.

The wide availability of smart phones which make it easier to gamble 24 hours per day has boosted the number of young women who have become addicted to online gambling, while older women have also started to use the internet more, meaning that those without access to "terrestrial" gambling opportunities such as bingo halls can still play.

The number of people seeking help is likely to be relatively low. "This is becoming a major issue," said Andy Todd, counselling manager for the RCA Trust. "It is the tip of the iceberg - there will be a lot more women out there who are in the same situation and do not come to us, or any other organisations, for help."

"The key is the accessibility - that people can log in 24-7 from their smart phone as well as from their computer," added Todd.

"There are an increasingly large range of these sites that people use. Historically, there has been a lot of supply, but demand now seems to be increasing."

Woman seem to be running up massive debts in short periods of time, due to a lack of support and restraint from friends and fellow players who would get to see the problems in land based clubs.

"We find that people create the fastest debts in a short period of time with online gambling like bingo," added Todd. "We have had people come to us with debts as high as hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"In a lot of cases, people like the community that goes with the online gambling - you can use a chat room and you are talking to people who are also interested in something you like. It is very addictive."

Yvonne MacDermid,the chief executive of Money Advice Scotland who was presented the research, commented: “ in real terms, the problem is much bigger. There are a lot of people out there who are keeping their gambling problem underground.

"It is a lot more secretive when people are gambling on their own than in it is in real life if they go to the bingo hall with a few friends.

"The problem is that it is an addiction - they feel great about what they're doing to begin with, but then that changes."

She added: "I believe that as people become more and more desperate, we are going to see more of this."

Betting journalist Richard Preen added "The big push is smartphone technology now. The whole of the betting industry, including bingo, is trying to get their products working successfully on smart phones," he said.