Critical of the UK Gambling Commission
The UK Gambling Commission was put in place as a regulatory body to over see the
UK land and online casino gambling industry and to ensure that the
liberalization of the UK gambling industry did not translate into a higher
incident of problem gambling. The Commission has been in place for well over a
year now and some analysts and researchers in the industry are highly critical
of the Commission’s policies and regulations that have been implemented within
the past year. Online casinos and gambling is already addictive by nature and a
pathological gambling special from the Royal College of Psychiatrists is largely
critical of the Commission’s decisions and new regulations.
A TimesOnline article highlighted some of specialist Dr. Emanuel Moran’s
opinions. Moran is particularly critical of the Commission’s recent decision to
increase the level of prizes available at through UK fruit machines. Moran notes
that addiction to fruit machines is the first step toward later addictive habits
at the land and online casinos. Fruit machines are one of the most addictive
types of gambling and Moran believes that the decision to increase the prize
levels on the machines was irresponsible. With a higher limit more gamblers will
certainly try their luck at the fruit machines – and when they lose money they
will turn to the online casinos as a way to then make up for their losses – a
vicious cycle leading to problem and addictive gambling habits.
Moran notes that seemingly all of the Commission’s decisions and new regulations
are in favor of the land and online casino gambling industry over the safety of
the gambling population. The new regulations all give the gaming companies and
operators more chances for revenue while also upping the chances of addictive
behavior from the gamblers themselves. |