Gambling, how much should the government protect us from ourselves

[simon12]

I had a discussion on this with 2 employees of Coral who see how people can't deal with there additions to the fixed odds gambling machines and also can see how Coral will be closing branches and people will loose jobs when the new regulations come in limiting bets to £2 per spin. My initial view was people should be free to throw away there money however they like, but these machines are something different. I have no idea if they just turned out this way or if there was research into how to do it but they seem able to flip something in an addicts brain that makes them totally loose control far more than any traditional form of gambling, ie people who would compulsively gamble £5-20 on sporting events even if they can't afford it now load there entire pay check in a machine within 24 hours of getting paid. If there is nothing done the next generation of then could be designed by skilled psychologists to exploit this even further. The issue with the law changes (apart from job loss and tax revenue loss) is people can just gamble online with even less help to stop.
My solution which may be a bad idea is instead of more regulation which I see as desperately trying to look like your fixing an issue when your just shifting it is less. If you moved gambling from gambling shops where you are in an isolated environment away from the rest of the world you moved them into pubs where people you know can keep an eye on you and if nothing else you would feel more stupid loosing your whole pay check the community may regulate gambling itself or like I say it could just make it all worse no idea really what do you all think?

 

[Leon103]

I am no expert but I guess it is more addicted to get gamblers rather than betting on an event. They have to wait to see if they have won or lost and for some that wait is enough for the urge to pass. The machines are instant and that thought of the next spin will win comes into the mind

 

[BeerCat]

I presume the machines your talking about are like a virtual roulette? I have no idea what the answer is but a lot of people i see coming out of these shops look broken . If you closed all betting shops they would only gamble online though. Imagine what it must be like to be married to someone that would gamble their wages away.

 

[Clint]

It's funny how only certain addictions are in the news....
Imagine tobacco buyers being told..you've had a packet this week..clear off!
Or those people that go to pubs...

 

[Gunge]

It's funny how only certain addictions are in the news....
Imagine tobacco buyers being told..you've had a packet this week..clear off!
Or those people that go to pubs...

Ye... and then there's those freaks who are addicted to frequenting the gym. Action should be prioritised in helping those sick, sad individuals.

 

[simon12]

I presume the machines your talking about are like a virtual roulette? I have no idea what the answer is but a lot of people i see coming out of these shops look broken . If you closed all betting shops they would only gamble online though. Imagine what it must be like to be married to someone that would gamble their wages away.

Yes exactly those machines. Apparently unlike traditional fruit machines that pay out purely based on how much they have taken they run on a random number generator so the odds work exactly like real roulette.

 

[pvt_ak]

I’ve little patience with this.
This country has become a help those who can’t save themselves country.

FFS - if you’re not mature enough to look after you’re own money ask for help.

If you’re not , and you lose it . Bad luck !

 

[Chippy_Tea]

FFS - if you’re not mature enough to look after you’re own money ask for help.
If you’re not , and you lose it . Bad luck !

Gambling is an addiction and these machines are designed to empty these addicts bank accounts anything that can help put the brakes on that has to be a good thing.



.

 

[pvt_ak]

I don’t disagree Chippy - I just think people need to help themselves a little more. I deal directly with people in financial difficulties and it gob smacks me how bonkers some people are at helping themselves and blaming others for their misfortune.

 

[simon12]

I’ve little patience with this.
This country has become a help those who can’t save themselves country.

FFS - if you’re not mature enough to look after you’re own money ask for help.

If you’re not , and you lose it . Bad luck !

Thats exactly my initial thoughts, it was then thinking abut if these machines are deliberately exploiting someones vulnerability to the limit in such an extreme way something should be done. But maybe the solution is to make them even worse, that way the quicker you can hit rock bottom the quicker you can get out or maybe not. What if they just made it coin only so oyu can do £100 spins but have to load 50 £2 coins in first, or maybe a bewtter solution is you have to set a maximum lose amount when you come in. I have no idea really.

 

[Covrich]

Gambling companies only like losers though, if you win too much take a good price or do too many promotions they "gub" you restrict your stakes to pennies or close your account down., the exceptions tend to be they will still encourage you to play on their slots

 

[marshbrewer]

You ask the question 'how much should the government protect us from ourselves'

I would say 'not at all' as that would require that 'the government' defined what was good and bad, and thus what we need 'protection' from.

This may sound harsh, but where do you stop? How many freedoms would you tolerate being taken away from the responsible to protect the irresponsible? Additionally, if you infantisice people, they start to act as infants, compounding the problem.

You could, after all, use the addictive personality argument to ban alcohol, home brewing, enforce state rationing of food, etc etc.

To be free, people need to be free to fail.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You could, after all, use the addictive personality argument to ban alcohol, home brewing, enforce state rationing of food, etc etc.

You call people who get addicted irrisponsible I call them addicts, when I smoked my first cigarette 45 years ago I didn't think in 25 years time I would be so addicted to nicotine I would struggle to live without it but that is the nature of addiction and gambling is *no different to smoking.

* Not only is it no different you can do it anywhere and anytime on your smart phone unlike smoking which is now banned in most places.

I think we all agree that these machines are not good and something needed to be done about the amount of money you can pour into them in a short space of time they are not stopping these people gambling just lowering the amount they can gamble on these machines in a given time.

 

[Gunge]

Well I'm gunna get a whole bunch of scratchcards later, and if I win owt I'll just exchange 'em for another bunch. As always.

 

[Clint]

Why not exchange your winnings for **** and booze...that way you won't be wasting it.
Always thinking me!

 

[simon12]

You ask the question 'how much should the government protect us from ourselves'

I would say 'not at all' as that would require that 'the government' defined what was good and bad, and thus what we need 'protection' from.

This may sound harsh, but where do you stop? How many freedoms would you tolerate being taken away from the responsible to protect the irresponsible? Additionally, if you infantisice people, they start to act as infants, compounding the problem.

You could, after all, use the addictive personality argument to ban alcohol, home brewing, enforce state rationing of food, etc etc.

To be free, people need to be free to fail.

I totally agree with the sentiment but 2 points, one what if they could make these machines so clever they could suck anyone in any there powerless to resist and 2 compared to other addictions none of the others you can loose potentially millions of £s every day ie theres only so much you can drink or smoke regardless of how addicted you are. I still think I could be wrong, but if a line should be drawn somewhere its about around here.

 

[aamcle]

For a start ban advertising for ganbling.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

For a start ban advertising for ganbling.

A very good point there is now no advertising for **** it should be the same for gambling.

.

 

[marshbrewer]

one what if they could make these machines so clever they could suck anyone in any there powerless to resist

Using a device that forced someone to part with their money, which is the situation you describe, is already illegal and wiuld be covered by various existing laws around fraud and deception, coercion, etc, as it would be a machine that forced people to do something against their will.

 

[marshbrewer]

compared to other addictions none of the others you can loose potentially millions of £s every day

You can do this with normal gambling, stock market betting / investing, etc.

Look, I'm not blind to the misery these vices can cause, but I just don't think it is the place of the state to play nanny.