[News] Government do something right for a change regarding FOBTs.

[Beach Seagull]

Ridiculous piece of legislation. Nobody makes you play these machines, why can't adults take responsibility for their own actions. It's not the bookies fault if people overspend on them. But this is England isn't it, the land where it's always someone else's fault. The bookies should be allowed to let punters stake however much they like, if adults are too stupid to spend their money on them that is their own fault.

 

[The Clamp]

Ridiculous piece of legislation. Nobody makes you play these machines, why can't adults take responsibility for their own actions. It's not the bookies fault if people overspend on them. But this is England isn't it, the land where it's always someone else's fault. The bookies should be allowed to let punters stake however much they like, if adults are too stupid to spend their money on them that is their own fault.

I somewhat agree but the point is betting shops have exploited human weakness and done so cynically and with no thought to the cost to society and services. They needled as much profit out of human misery and public cost as they could and ofr that alone the legislation is good. Even just to teach greedy bookmakers a lesson. It won't cure gambling addicts, they'll just go into arcades.

 

[Beach Seagull]

I somewhat agree but the point is betting shops have exploited human weakness and done so cynically and with no thought to the cost to society and services. They needled as much profit out of human misery and public cost as they could and ofr that alone the legislation is good. Even just to teach greedy bookmakers a lesson.

No they haven't, adults should take responsibility for their own actions and not blame others. The bookies don't force you to play these machines.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Ridiculous piece of legislation. Nobody makes you play these machines, why can't adults take responsibility for their own actions. It's not the bookies fault if people overspend on them. But this is England isn't it, the land where it's always someone else's fault. The bookies should be allowed to let punters stake however much they like, if adults are too stupid to spend their money on them that is their own fault.

Nobody makes anybody drink too much alcohol, but there is still a responsibility on the licensee to stop serving a customer when appropriate.

 

[The Clamp]

No they haven't, adults should take responsibility for their own actions and not blame others. The bookies don't force you to play these machines.

No, they don't force you but an addict is a vulnerable person. That is a fact. Business has a duty of care to vulnerable people and bookies have been exploiting vulnerability for too long.
If you don't understand that, you don't understand addiction.

 

[Beach Seagull]

No, they don't force you but an addict is a vulnerable person. That is a fact. Business has a duty of care to vulnerable people and bookies have been exploiting vulnerability for too long.
If you don't understand that, you don't understand addiction.

I do understand addiction all to well having lost my dad to alcoholism in 2016. I never thought the pubs were exploiting him, it was his choice to drink. Nobody is getting exploited by the bookies, nobody is forced to play those machines. God who isn't 'vulnerable' in this country anymore??

 

[Simster]

I do understand addiction all to well having lost my dad to alcoholism in 2016. I never thought the pubs were exploiting him, it was his choice to drink. Nobody is getting exploited by the bookies, nobody is forced to play those machines. God who isn't 'vulnerable' in this country anymore??

As I said earlier, reducing the stakes makes it easier to force adults to take responsibility.

If you have a compulsive personality, you can lose £500 in a matter of seconds as things stand. Yes, it's their fault but I'd rather the state made it more difficult to do. At least with low stakes, those people would spend hours losing that £500, and it would be easier to point to a gambler and ask "didn't you think of stopping as you saw your money steadily disappear?"

 

[The Clamp]

I do understand addiction all to well having lost my dad to alcoholism in 2016. I never thought the pubs were exploiting him, it was his choice to drink. Nobody is getting exploited by the bookies, nobody is forced to play those machines. God who isn't 'vulnerable' in this country anymore??

Ok. I don't think you do understand addiction and I think you couldn't be more wrong but that's life and that's your opinion and long may you be entitled to it.

 

[Beach Seagull]

As I said earlier, reducing the stakes makes it easier to force adults to take responsibility.

If you have a compulsive personality, you can lose £500 in a matter of seconds as things stand. Yes, it's their fault but I'd rather the state made it more difficult to do. At least with low stakes, those people would spend hours losing that £500, and it would be easier to point to a gambler and ask "didn't you think of stopping as you saw your money steadily disappear?"

Fair point however just like the 'tax per unit of alcohol' in Scotland it won't stop people drinking and gambling they will just gamble on different things / still buy alcohol.

 

[Beach Seagull]

Ok. I don't think you do understand addiction and I think you couldn't be more wrong but that's life and that's your opinion and long may you be entitled to it.

I do understand addiction I can assure you. Think we will have to agree to disagree on this subject mate.

 

[The Clamp]

Fair point however just like the 'tax per unit of alcohol' in Scotland it won't stop people drinking and gambling they will just gamble on different things / still buy alcohol.

Of course they will. Government doesn't necessarily have an obligation to cure addiction but it should not be condoning the enabling of it.

 

[Simster]

Fair point however just like the 'tax per unit of alcohol' in Scotland it won't stop people drinking and gambling they will just gamble on different things / still buy alcohol.

I'm not convinced they will move onto different forms of gambling actually. The issue is the impulsive nature of the bets made on those machines - punters know in a second whether they've won or lost £200. That is the problem it is hoped this issue solves, not gambling addiction. I suspect the sort of people gambling insane amounts of money on these machines are the same people who will do exactly the same but for £2 a bet rather than £200.

We just don't know, but I just feel this legislation is worth putting in place in case it helps.

 

[goldstone]

They haven't gone far enough. All advertising for gambling and sponsorship by gambling companies should be banned too. It's everywhere.

 

[Insel affe]

They haven't gone far enough. All advertising for gambling and sponsorship by gambling companies should be banned too. It's everywhere.

And why is that......

Because they make a fecking mint, and not just from FOBT machines either, the growing gambling problem is in the online bingo games advertised towards women. Bookmakers are there to make money from everyone they can and do not care how or who it comes from, often from the most desperate people in the poorest areas. Only people who can’t see the whole picture can’t see that.

 

[Beach Seagull]

And why is that......

Because they make a fecking mint, and not just from FOBT machines either, the growing gambling problem is in the online bingo games advertised towards women. Bookmakers are there to make money from everyone they can and do not care how or who it comes from, often from the most desperate people in the poorest areas. Only people who can’t see the whole picture can’t see that.

They could always go and get a job instead of spending their time and money in the bookies.

 

[BNthree]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/31/big-gamble-dangerous-british-betting-shops

Interesting article from a couple of years ago about what it's like to work in high street betting shops. Think FOBT machines should be banned or much more regulated myself.

 

[pocketseagull]

Another part of the picture on how the machines are used for money laundering

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/08/gambling-machines-drug-money-laundering-bookies

 

[Blue&WhiteSea]

They could always go and get a job instead of spending their time and money in the bookies.

I hope you are never affected by someone close to you with a gambling addiction, your uneducated comments on this thread have made me quite angry.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Ive only read one post on here put up, very honestly, by Psychbill. His is the only voice worth listening to imo because he has direct and ongoing damage to his life caused by a liking for FOBTs.

All of you libertarians crapping on about "the right of the individual" to plunge his or her family into financial peril because of the disease of addiction, no matter whether you know an alcoholic so claim to "understand" addiction are waaay off beam on this.

Addiction is a disease, like any other, and requires someone, other than the addict, to make responsible choices for them because, frankly, the disease renders the sufferer incapable of doing so themselves.

As for bookies losing shops and jobs, good, let them go to the wall. I feel about as much sympathy for those vampires as I do for heroin dealers who are offed by their competitors or punters. They should go and get a job that doesn't put them at the bottom of the karmic ladder. If I had a job that involved the ruin of my fellow man...id want to lose the ****.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

They could always go and get a job instead of spending their time and money in the bookies.

Thank you Dr. That's the cure for addiction settled.

I was a successful guy, had pots of dough and a great job but got into trouble with opiate painkillers...that cost me nearly everything. The fight to get off left me suicidal and apart from my family and friends I had nothing left at the end.

It's behind me now, thank Christ, but you clearly don't have the first idea how addiction can pull a decent life to pieces. Just go away and post your drivel somewhere else. Pray it's not you that falls into this trap.