The government has announced a review of treatment and assistance after research found there are more than 250,000 problem gamblers in Britain.
A report from the Gambling Commission published on Wednesday said that new forms of gambling such as the internet had not increased the number of people taking part.
In fact the gambling prevalence survey - carried out by the National Centre for Social Research - found that levels of problem gambling have remained steady over the past eight years, with problem gambling affecting 0.6 per cent of the adult population.
The prime minister's spokesman responded: "While the report shows that problem gambling only effects a small minority of people it does remain a serious issue and it has to be addressed."
And asked about the decision on whether to allow a supercasinon the spokesman added: "As the prime minister said in July in relation to supercasinos the question is whether or not this is the most effective way of meeting our regeneration objectives which was one of there original purposes - he [the prime minister] is obviously sceptical about that.
"There is a process ongoing in relation to the decision surrounding the supercasino. Clearly the report from the Gambling Commission is an important consideration in relation to the supercasino but no-one should be left in any doubt as to what the prime minister's views are."
The legislation, which came into force on September 1, created new licensing regulations and put casinos, bookmakers and online betting under one regulatory body.
Dean raised concerns that there are "still over a quarter of a million adults who are problem gamblers" despite the steady levels seen since 1999.
"The challenge, for us and for the industry, is to tackle this through the new licensing regime that has been put in place from September 1," he said.
"British-based gambling operators must now comply with strict and detailed social responsibility obligations, and we will monitor how these requirements are met."
Review
The government welcomed the findings, but insisted the report was "not grounds for complacency" and that it would continue to protect vulnerable people.
Announcing a review of the funding for gambling research, treatment and public education, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it would look into the causes and risks associated with problem gambling.
It also said the Gambling Commission would take forward measures to ensure people can make informed choices of where to gamble, and put in place safeguards for credit card and at-risk users.
"While the results show that problem gambling still only affects a small minority of people, it remains a serious issue, and one which must be addressed," said culture minister Gerry Sutcliffe.
"The gambling industry has a responsibility to make the right level of funding available to treat those who are harmed by its products.
"And we owe it to the public to make sure that they have ready access to the facts that they need to make informed choices about gambling, to help reduce the risks."
'Failure'
However, the Conservatives said the study confirmed that the Gambling Act was failing to address the problem.
Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This report demonstrates conclusively just how wide of the mark the government's gambling policy is.
"The biggest growth in problem gambling is on the newer types of gambling, left virtually untouched by the new legislation that came into force this month."
He said that nearly one in 10 online gamblers has an addiction problem "that can lead to indebtedness, family breakdown and crime", adding: "So what has Gordon Brown done?
"He has liberalised gambling advertising, and in his last Budget created a fiscal environment that massively deterred overseas-registered sites from registering in the UK.
"This report is two years too late. All the gambling legislation has now passed through Parliament with little prospect of serious amendment. The horse has well and truly bolted from the gambling stables."
Outlining proposals to tackle problem gambling, the Tories said they would demand an annual prevalence study, work to ensure "a level playing field" of regulations around the world, and create a kitemark for socially responsible companies.
