Four big changes to online gambling rules under new plans including a BAN on free bets

The GOVERNMENT is set to announce curbs on online gambling over fears the industry is ruining lives and costing hundreds of millions.

Ministers will publish a review of a 17-year-old gambling law over concerns it is outdated for the modern day, The Times reports.

The curbs will include maximum stakes of between £2 and £5 for online casinos, a ban on free bets and VIP packages for gamblers who suffer big losses and "non-intrusive" affordability checks.

Affordability checks see problem gamblers running up losses asked to prove they can afford to continue betting.

Gambling companies will also have to take off features from online games that increase the level of risk for customers, including quick games in which customers can lose money faster.

It comes after a Public Health England (PHE) found the rough overall cost of health harms caused by gambling was around £960million.

That includes suicide, which costs £619.2million.

The study also found an estimated 409 suicides were linked to gambling in England every year.

An inquest into the death of teacher Jack Ritchie earlier this year found the 24-year-old teacher was failed by "woefully inadequate" warnings and treatments.

Campaigners have also shared concerns over the ever-present nature of advertising on television and in the sporting world.

Meanwhile, ministers have dropped plans to ban gambling companies from sponsoring Premier League football shirts.

Almost half of the clubs in the competition last year were sponsored by gambling companies.

The Sun recently spoke exclusively to a former gambling addict who ran up hundreds of thousands of pounds of debt and tried to take her own life twice.

What should you do if someone you know has a gambling problem?

There are a number of steps you can take if you believe someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction.