The number of people diagnosed with a gambling addiction has increased due to economic plight.

According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, there were 925 such cases in 2015, already up from 751 in 2014, with a further rise to 1,113 in 2016.

By age, those in their 30s made up 37.2 percent, followed by those in their 20s at 32.5 percent. People in their 40s made up 13.7 percent of the total.