In the past two weeks, life as we know it has changed immeasurably. Our new reality won’t be easy to endure. Most of us will get bored and crave our old freedoms – shopping, going to the pub, lounging in the park with friends as the weather warms up. While trapped inside, many of us will rely on technology to pass the time. Online learning resources will provide frazzled parents with teaching aides for their children; video calls to family and friends will assuage the loneliness for many older people.

But there’s another, less inviting, aspect of technology. The effects of self-isolation – countless hours with often no more company than a computer screen – are also the perfect conditions for online gambling. Gambling companies have realised this and already appear to be using our newfound isolation to their own advantage. Where quarantine has meant a downturn for many businesses, gambling companies may see this period as a huge opportunity to increase their profit margins.

My inbox has been inundated with messages about targeted advertising, and offers aimed at people who usually place sports bets to trial other much more addictive casino-style games instead.

For some people, online gambling may be a welcome, fleeting distraction from the real world – a momentary interruption to an otherwise monotonous day. But we’ve seen time and again how unscrupulous this industry can be, where money seems to matter more than customers’ safety and wellbeing.

The industry long resisted a stake reduction for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). Earlier this year it emerged that some companies only allowed customers to watch live matches if they opened betting accounts. Just two weeks ago, the gambling firm Betway was given a record fine for accepting stolen money from high-spending VIP customers, some displaying clear signs of addiction.

I am deeply concerned that as we move further into this crisis, greater numbers of people will turn to online gambling as a distraction. In the absence of legislation, the industry itself must act responsibly. This week I wrote to the industry and called on them to impose daily spending limits. The companies haven’t been receptive.

More than ever, we need online gambling companies to introduce a £2 stake for slot games, and greater controls on casino content. Such limits introduce “friction” – slowing down the speed of play, and preventing problematic gambling. Indeed, introducing a £2 limit has dramatically reduced the harm associated with FOBTs.

Online gambling isn’t regulated by the same rules that exist for machine-betting shops or arcades, where there are stake or spend limits. Sitting at home on your computer, you can spend thousands of pounds in minutes, with little, if any, restrictions.

If the industry were to impose reduced stake limits, it would demonstrate that they are willing to both protect their customers’ safety and exercise some moral judgment. We are all facing a period of great uncertainty. I hope the gambling industry will take the necessary steps to protect the vulnerable at a time when it’s needed most.

• Carolyn Harris is the Labour MP for Swansea East