'£300m cost' of online gambling

Millions of people make bets online each month, research suggests

Online gambling at work costs firms in England more than £300m each year in lost productivity, a survey has found.

Researchers claim 30% of office workers nationally had either placed a bet online or knew someone who had.

The survey, commissioned by consultancy firm Morse, suggested those who gambled on the internet at work were likely to spend 13 hours a year doing so.

Northern England had the most gamblers, with 35% making bets compared to 29% in the South and 27% in the Midlands.

'Great impact'

Morse spokesman Philip Wicks said: "Many employees have unmonitored access to the internet and the fact that they can now follow most sporting events online, coupled with the rise of internet gambling websites, has tempted people to place a 'quick' bet online.

"However these bets all add up and can greatly impact on businesses' productivity."

The survey said 38% of the men questioned admitted to gambling online, compared to 21% of women.

Bets were most often placed on the National Lottery, followed by football matches, horse races and online poker games.

The survey results came from interviews with 664 office workers across the country and workplace information from the Office of National Statistics.