Should Gambling be Illegal?

Interesting Topic and should bring about a good debate.

My view is that it should not be illegal. I don’t know the exact stats but would guess that a small percentage of people become addicted. I am in that group.

Looking at the world as a whole, a minority of people become addicted to things that make them feel good whereas the majority display control whether that be with alcohol, food, s*x, exercise, drugs, shopping etc. In all of those groups there will be addicts. Our addiction is gambling.

The same advertising applies to all of the groups I mentioned our brains just decipher some a little differently in my opinion.

I like debates.

RR

I don't think it should be illegal as some people can enjoy it in moderation, say betting on annual events/major tournaments or a small weekly bet. (Though I don't personally now.)

I do feel really strongly that advertising should be much more strictly regulated. Limited adverts after the 9 oclock watershed. I hate all the celebrity endorsed daytime ads which imply that particular sites are fun, friendly communities, when actually, gambling is often such a lonely, isolating addiction.  

No, it should not be but advertising should be much more controlled. You do not see alcohol or tobacco being advertised like gambling is. These companies have advertising budgets bigger than some small countries and they use them year in and year out on everything from influencers to the car radio. We are not equipped to handle that kind of brainwashing.  In Germany, they have clear rules when and how much gambling advertising is allowed and I believe that is a key as a start to bringing down the problems with it.

Of course it shouldn't be illegal in my opinion gambling for most people is a bit of fun which can be a good day out it's just for us unfortunate people can be a problem but it's a life choice nobody forces us to gamble

Adding to this debate, gambling advertisements as a whole are irritating for me and everyone else on this forum no doubt but do non-problem gamblers bother about them? I don’t know. Today, I’ve watched a lot of football and with it a lot of adverts. The adverts from Audi, BMW, DairyMilk, Kelloggs, Raheem Sterling having a shave etc - I take no notice of these. If Marlboro advertised cigarettes today I wouldn’t feel compelled to buy cigarettes, then again, I don’t smoke cigarettes. Gambling adverts bother me because I’m a gambling addict and it’s a constant reminder of my problem/weakness. Should they be banned? Maybe, maybe not.

RR

Ethically it should probably be restricted way more than it currently is 

Economically - it never will be because it's too much of a cash cow 

there has been talks of affordability checks for years in the gambling industry if you are earning £1,500 a month there's no way you should be able to lose a months wages and more inside of a half hour 

The entire industry is a mess , and one you are best not to be involved with 

A very interesting topic.

I think it's fair for problem gamblers to be upset with the amount of gambling adverts on the telly or radio, but I also think it's fair for non problem gamblers to bemoan the fact that some ex-gamblers and activists want all gambling advertisement shut down. As a problem gambler I try not to take much notice of the ads. There are some funny ones, I won't mention with which bookmaker, but you can probably guess who I am talking about.

I have two problems with the adverts though:

1.) I think it is fundamentally wrong when the bookmaker tries to shape the advert as everyone having a good time and in most of these adverts, the people are always winning. Whether the actors are at the racetrack, their living room or in the pub, they are always celebrating a goal, horse winning etc. I think that is fundamentally wrong. Like the advertisement for smoking where the tobacco companies have to brand warning signs all over their packaging, there should be some element of  gambling advertisement where it is shown that if a person gambles too much, there are grave consequences and not just the trivial line at the end of the adverts of "only gamble what you can afford, always gamble responsibly".

2.) The bigger issue I have is that gambling companies are "branching out" and sponsoring shows like Come Dine With me and other mainstream shows. At the shops the other day my 7 year old daughter spotted a p********r shop and exclaimed "oh so that's p********r". I was completely taken aback and when I asked her where she had seen or heard from them, she said they are on "loads of ads on the telly". That's worrying to me. The other big thing is the sponsorship of footbally jerseys. Thankfully not many of the big teams in the premier league have a gambling company brandished  on the front of their jersey, but outside the top 5/6 teams, there are a lot of football jersey which do have them.

So they would be my two gripes with the gambling advertising. I think as problem gamblers we know we are going to encounter gambling advertisement whether it's on the radio, TV or in the newspaper and in recovery, it's up to ourselves to not let that effect us as much as it might. I generally zone out when these advertisements come on, but there are some occasions that they do bother me. I don't necessarily think that gambling adverts will entice me back to gambling, but I suppose there are no alcohol or smoking adverts on TV, so a reduction in the gambling adverts would certainly be welcomed by me.  

I feel its the wrong question at this stage. The debate should be about very strong regulation and really understanding what gambling does to the brain

We should be talking about the dirty tricks and lack of transparency... the "bonuses" that are not a bonus... the winning sounds when its actually a part loss of stake... no printing of the actual odds... an rtp which is meaningless per session.. the loose language in the advertising which is immoral and barely legal.

You have all seen the damage that all forms of gambling do on this forum... the sheer misery... the tears... the destruction of marriages, homes and lives

was it ever fun?? .. is fun the right word to use? the gambling dens hide behind the freedom of old joe in the bookies or mrs smith buying a lottery ticket. they hide behind the freedom of choice argument to peddle their deady wares. 

it surprises me how accepting some of you are when you must have read stories of partners at their wits end or numerous suicides. 

The deregulation of gambling is a sinister money grab. its nothing really to do with a bit of harmless fun. 

its proven  to be very addictive and conservative estimates put problem gambers in the hundreds of thousands. 

you have to start with the facts about smoking drinking and gambling.....harmful and dangerous vices whether you accept them or not. 

gambling has its own special blend of instant ruin and people are NOT being protected from it.

NO Im not being over dramatic. The government are in on the take which says it all about the question in hand

Evening all 

some great input and thought provoking words. 
for me the act of the ‘gamble’ has existed for a great deal of time, I believe historically it’s something that the Romans enjoyed greatly.

 I am an addict, I would if active gamble by any means necessary, illegal gambling or legal I would have fed my inner demand.

today I work hard on understanding why I gambled even though I knew that the outcome would be turmoil financially.

the same can be said for my addiction to alcohol and drugs, I knew that consumption would lead to a terrible aftermath but I pursued the episode without consideration 

I relate wholly to my desire to live with the outcome of my actions rather than reality of the life I had been dealt.

 I personally would like to see gambling establishments vetting customers like a bank or credit broker would. The circumstances of the check to ensure that the gambling was within the means of the individual.

but I accept that would legitimise the industry which doesn’t want to be regulated, they desire to regulate themselves.

 I am a dirty brown stain the gambling industry  refuse to accept exists and as a whole in my ten years of recovery the carpet has often been lifted and I have been brushed under because I darkened the image that gambling is a clean, fun filled provider of hope and joy for all engaged.

for me the regulating of the fobt the biggest insult to the compulsive gambler in those ten years.

 I believe that to be a huge elephant in the room, a great deal was spoken about the £2 limit.

two pounds a spin on a fruit machine that takes a credit every what couple of seconds is what £60 a minute, £3600 per hour and that’s equal to what my £100 a spin roulette addiction demanded pre ‘regulation’

Yet the industry lorded the £2 stakes as the end of the problem 

I accept that I will receive no help from the hand I fed for 25+ years and that’s ok with me.

Today I appreciate what is available 

gamcare, GA, the network of folk who know about my addiction, Gamban. 
And above all my desire to live without addiction actively destructing my ability to live without the pain, inner turmoil and external hurt it gives.

 I welcome debate, it’s like a medicine that we the compulsive gambler gift ourselves and share unconditionally.

just for today 

Duncs 

I think a lot of people have hit the nail on the head here,  it's the advertising that is the issue. I am over 3 years into my recovery and the adverts still trigger me and it takes a lot for me to keep strong, especially when an advert shows a slot game I played all the time. It makes gambling come to the front of my mind every single time and that for me is the problem! Even on social media I find I'm hiding and blocking sites just so they are not in my face.

D x

Hello all

Great debate - as a few of you mentioned adverts and content online I just wanted to share some guidance from the Gambling Commission that you may find helpful:

Reducing gambling related content on Twitter:
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-and-players/guide/controlling-gambling-related-content-you-see-on-twitter

Reducing gambling related content on Facebook:
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-and-players/guide/controlling-gambling-related-content-you-see-on-facebook

Reducing unwanted gambling related emails and texts:
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-and-players/page/how-can-i-stop-getting-gambling-marketing-texts-and-emails

You may also want to consider purchasing ad blocking software to prevent seeing gambling ads online. 
Sorry that won't help with ads you see on TV.

Best wishes,

Deirdre
Forum Admin

Over the past few years I've been annoyed with Facebook gambling ads as my poison was always poker and that's what they'd advertise (no matter how much I wrote these adverts as wrong for me and a sensitive subject).  So six months ago I closed my Facebook account down and deleted all my data.  Now I don't see it I haven't thought about poker since.  

I watch football and have only bet on it a couple of times.  Now advertising for betting on football doesn't bother me as like rollete says it has never appealed to me so it's not appealing or interesting or exciting for me so it's on the tv but I don't really focus on it so it will never be a problem 

I guess all adverts like roulette says can be a problem for a minority of people and as long as it's making money for the businesses will continue.

It's just a sore subject for us as wehave had a problem.

I spoke to my friends about Facebook ads and they said they like direct marketing as it shows them products they are interested in.

I just know the product that makes the most money from me that I'm interested in is poker and it's fair to say that's it's an unhealthy and dangerous product for me to use.

Gambling is one of the oldest past times too...it's going no where .....  If I could ban it I would ban ciggerettes, alcohol, gambling and would make drugs innaccessable to the public too.  But think how large our population growth would be without them.  Maybe that's one reason government sets out to allow them? A growing population.

I am of the opinion that it should be very highly regulated but not illegal. I wouldn't want to criminalise someone for putting a bet on their football team, if that is all they are doing. I do think that their should be very strict limits on how much you can bet in order to get across the message that you can't change your life through gambling.

I think that gaming machines of all kinds are just cruel and designed to addict. I think their is an argument here to ban all gaming and slot machines. They do not add any value to society or social cohesion in my opinion. The current reductions in stake and warnings on the machines made no material difference to my addiction. Forcing someone to wait for a few seconds and read a message on the screen does not deter me from carrying on gambling once am in my gambling bubble.

Another point. How does anybody really know the true extent of problem gambling?? Its a highly secret addiction... isn't it??? So, for example if I am new to gambling and one day I blow all my money gambling, how do I magically become part of the statistics of problem gambling?? answer... I don't... I probably keep it too myself untill am forced through circumstance to do something about it. Don't belief all this nonsense pedalled by the powers that be, that only a tiny proportion of people who gamble have a problem.

In conclusion I think there is an argument for making gambling so heavily restricted that people learn just not to bother with it at all.