Online Casinos Offer Prizes
The popularity of online casino betting and gambling is not all rosy for the
some areas, and even strict regulations and problem gambling programs don’t stop
the fact that more and more players are turning out to the betting shops to bet
on their favorite sporting events. Recent statistics released for Wales show
that online casino betting is on the rise and has contributed to a doubling in
the amount of money that citizens spend on the pastime in just seven short
years. The UK has regulations in place to address problem and addictive
gambling, but so far the ability to voluntarily donate funds toward problem
gambling is less than effective – online casinos just aren’t willing to
voluntarily donate the money it seems.
All of the online casinos and betting companies that operate in the UK and Wales
are required to voluntarily fund the Responsibility in Gambling Trust. This
Trust was set up through restrictions and guidelines in the 2005 Gambling Act.
At that point the Gambling Commission assumed that the online casinos would
voluntarily donate enough money into the fund as a part of social responsibility
obligations – but that just hasn’t been the case. For that reason, the UK
Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, commented to the entire betting and gambling
industry: I am putting the industry on notice that if the current level of
non-payment continues, a statutory levy will become inevitable, at a level to be
determined.”
This is to act as a warning to hopefully encourage online casinos operators to
choose to address problem gambling rather than be forced into action. Recent
research from the Betting Research Unit at Nottingham Business School indicates
that betting has doubled since 2001 – a finding that is both startling and
indicates a need for more programs that specifically target those with betting
and gambling addictions. |