[Football] Fixed odds betting machines.

[GT49er]

Neither. Adults who can't control their gambling only have themselves to blame not the betting companies. The gambling companies are simply providing a service, nobody makes you have a bet. As an adult you are making a choice to gamble, if you bet more than you can afford blame ya self and not the betting company. If you are too weak you are not a 'victim' but the architect of ya own downfall.

Yes, absolutely this. Same as the purveyors of crack cocaine; people don't have to use it, and they're only providing a service, just like those nice fellows who provide young girls from Eastern Europe for those unfortunate chaps who aren't getting enough at home. Supply and demand - well, more of a public service really. God bless 'em all!

 

[Beach Seagull]

I am sorry to hear that he had the disease which is alcoholism. At which point did anyone mention it was the bookies or a bars fault, except for you?
Say for example your friend lost everything with the gambling addiction would you not think to support or are you sticking along the lines of he's an adult self control and all that ?

Thanks for expressing sorrow i appreciate that. I didn't and still don't consider it as a disease,I saw it as an addiction not an disease.

The theme of this thread has been how damaging the machines are and that the bookies are 'extracting' money.

Nobody as far as I can recall has mentioned alcoholism and the role of pubs etc in exacerbating it, but it is an argument that gains frequent exposure when they are proposing 'minimum price on units of alcohol' etc, with the inference being pubs are to blame for alcoholism for selling cheap booze.

I would support a friend who lost everything to a gambling addiction but whilst i would be supportive I wouldn't blame the bookies and if they were to say to me they did, I would point out they choose the gambling path.

 

[Beach Seagull]

Yes, absolutely this. Same as the purveyors of crack cocaine; people don't have to use it, and they're only providing a service, just like those nice fellows who provide young girls from Eastern Europe for those unfortunate chaps who aren't getting enough at home. Supply and demand - well, more of a public service really. God bless 'em all!

Gambling is a legal service. Drug dealing is not. Pimping is not.

 

[The_Viper]

Normal people should not have to suffer because some people are addicts. If you banned gambling across the board then they'll just find something else to waste their life on. They either get help or nature takes it course.

 

[Rugrat]

A very fair point although I do think as an adult you should be capable of making a rational decision as to whether taking out a credit card is a good or bad decision.

Yea you'd think so but many/most don't. Banks were indiscriminate, if they thought you had equity in a house they would load you up regardless of your ability to repay. Next stop credit crunch.

I took the decision to get out of an industry I'd spent 30 years in as I hated what we were doing to wreck lives

From what I can see it's starting all again

Off my soap box

Edit: Nout to do with FOBT's but same sectors of society being preyed upon

 

[maffew]

It needs moderating. One should not be able to place a 100 quid on a spin in a high street bookies whilst receiving cash from debit cards over the counter its wrong

Bars arent allowed to sell alcohol to really pissed people

And here is some stats over the last few years since the smoking ban etc came in
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...lletins/adultsmokinghabitsingreatbritain/2014

My point there is reduce the exposure max the bets at a quid or 2.Despite what you say they are money making life destroying ****ers and whilst you take the moral high ground because you are ok well have a think about that dont have your jumped up self control. You are lucky. Go out to vegas and watch everyone blinded by the lights, old ladies an fruities all day and all night. I guess thats their choice though huh?

 

[maffew]

Gambling is a legal service. Drug dealing is not. Pimping is not.

Gambling is a legal "service" most places not all
As are drugs
As is alcohol
As is prostitution

 

[maffew]

words fail me AIDS is a virus anyway not a disease

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/recovery-blog/drug-addiction-disease-choice/#gref

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I've been in a bookies as long as I can remember. Ladbrokes at Fiveways when I was 16 (cough 18) was where I wasted parts of teenage years and beyond. It was full of people gambling, smoking and chatting like a social club. A perfect way to spend a spare afternoon or in my case GCSE revision.

Whilst I still frequent my local hills it's different. The FOBT have seen to that. Virtual racing. Virtual motor racing. Competitions on roulette. It used to be people whiling away an afternoon having fun talking through how to pick winners at Chester (won over c&d, low draw). Now its people doing their bollocks on roulette whilst the staff shit themselves about who will lose thier rags first. I'd like to ban the machines but its unrealistic. Reducing the stakes is the least that should be done.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

You mean BET365...


As for FOBT as long as you go into it with eyes open, know that whatever game you’re playing is already a fixed outcome before you hit the button and are prepared to risk only what you can afford to lose then no problem.

But there’s the rub, in the main people using them are chasing a quick win and genuinely believe that if the machine lands on red 2 that black 17 must be next because they’ve worked it out - and you can’t do that.

When I’ve dabbled its only ever been the fruit machine elements because I like finding out the features and obviously winning helps to but I do it with eyes open, knowledgable that it will screw me and I can’t game the system.

Well the Coates family are Billionainres,and Please never have a name like that or Betting name on a BHA shirt.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Leeches,bleeding people to death.

 

[Lovecake]

I can see no rational justification for allowing these things to exist at all in a civilised society. They exist for the sole purpose of extracting money from people who are vulnerable or who have an uncontrollable addiction. The gambling companies make vast amounts of money out of their victims misery. Its not a valid argument to say that people should individually take responsibility for their actions. All those who are able to do that, do do that. Just because people exist who are unable to be responsible, doesn't make it ok for an organisation to take all their money. Its just wrong.

I'm not the first on here to say but I wholeheartedly agree with this. The entire industry is built on companies creating a situation where they cannot lose. It's simply a tax on the vulnerable because those who can control themselves do so.

 

[maffew]

I'm not the first on here to say but I wholeheartedly agree with this. The entire industry is built on companies creating a situation where they cannot lose. It's simply a tax on the vulnerable because those who can control themselves do so.

I agree with that except its worse than a tax people lose house familys jobs bank accounts, all sorts and it is time for regulation. Being 18 and an adult does not cut it

 

[GT49er]

Gambling is a legal service. Drug dealing is not. Pimping is not.

Yes, I did actually know that. In this scenario it is irrelevant. Addictions do not respect the law one way or the other.