I’ll be on itv news at 7 this evening to chat about the proliferation of 24 hour adult gaming centres, the impact on deprived communities and what we can do about it.
This new data shows that despite their denials, this industry is deliberately targeting the people who can least afford it.
Editing to say- if you’re current or ex staff or have ever had a problem in one of these places and dont want to speak publicly, my inbox is open.
The more we talk about the issues with these places, the more power we have.
If youre struggling to help a family member, get in touch and i can link you up with support. You’re not alone.
Consistent-Pirate-23 on
This happened where I am, we had one small one for literally decades, it got pulled down and we now have two much larger ones, each is twice the size of the one that was there before.
I also used to work near somewhere really deprived, they have a few huge arcades
aReasonableStick on
theres a few of them in the town where I live, the pedestrianised part of the town gets turned into a giant carpark while people dive in to the 1 of 5 betting places all within a short walking distance of an actual carpark.
Express-Doughnut-562 on
Just like their algorithms for targeting problem gamblers are more likely to pick up those who cost them money rather than those who are vulnerable. Scummy industry. Hate the way they target advertising at young men.
SpicyNoseClams on
Aaah yeah i used to work in a bookies in east Glasgow, lots of deprivation, 3 bookies within 5 mins of each other in the middle of a council estate. You’d see them first come in on their way back from the food shop to spend their change, do that often enough they’d start coming in when walking their dog, then whenever they have an odd fiver to stick in the machine… then a bit more. Ive seen the cycle again and again.
I am in favour of only allowing bookies to operate in town centres or next to major venues
TheBrassDancer on
I am hardly shocked that these companies target the most vulnerable communities. They are the absolute scum of the earth.
cozywit on
Supply goes to the demand…
What fucking journalistic moron can’t tell this?
Next breaking story, exclusive country clubs targeting ultra wealthy!
[deleted] on
[deleted]
LordLucian on
Of course they are, Where do you think get make the most cash?
Loreki on
You bet they do. These vultures know what they are doing.
nastybadger on
Well yeah, they are feeding off people desperation. That one big win that will bring them out of money troubles. You dont see this in well off areas as people know its all a scam and dont want to risk as much. But you give someone a slim chance to pull out of poverty and then take advantage of the addictive nature of gambling and you have an endless pool of people willing to give you everything they have.
Its terrible and should be stopped. Just a few greedy people ruining thousands of people lives.
I know someone who worked for one of those pay day loan companies, he did the back end of the website and app. Said you could see the geolocation of people as they apply for those ridiculous loans. The amount of people taking them out well sat in bookies he said was shocking.
coffeewalnut08 on
Not surprised. After travelling between wealthy and deprived areas of the U.K. I notice that there’s a lot of gambling shops in the deprived streets. Furthermore, you also a lot of army recruitment centres in the deprived areas.
If the only opportunities we’re giving people is unemployment, joining the army or spending free time gambling, then I guess we can’t be surprised about the mental health crisis.
lad_astro on
An excerpt from ‘Butler to the World’ by Oliver Bullough, about Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals:
>’FOBTs? Money hoovers. They literally suck up any cash that is lying about the place. I think of us as like a massive cleaner,’ said one senior manager at a British bookmaker interviewed anonymously by Rebecca Cassidy. ‘In we go to a neighbourhood. Any spare cash, mate? In this slot here! That’s it, just shove it all in there. Oh, and enjoy a free cup of coffee while you’re at it, you fucking mug.’
Competitive_Pen7192 on
Gambling is fucking toxic. I’ve seen the damage it can do to people.
Companies taking advantage of the poor desperate and under educated.
It gets blamed on the end user when they get hooked, the companies get a free ride with their “gamble responsibly” messages.
Future-Atmosphere-40 on
Watched a guy in a Welsh pub blow 20 quid on two spins of a machine, did it at least three times in the hour and a bit I was there
EastRiding on
Just like how most National Lottery funding (tickets and scratchcards etc) come from the most deprived areas (people most likely to be desperate at a chance for wealth however fractional that is) when most lottery charity spending is in middle class areas where local infrastructure can organise itself effectively enough to put together the right proposal to win said charity funds.
Like so much of capitalism, taking from those with the least and giving it to those who need it the least.
I’m not saying national lottery charity work isn’t good, just it’s not as beneficial as it might be if we instead just taxed the richest individuals and corporations properly instead of letting globalist regimes cry poverty through billionaire owned media.
Happy Monday!
[deleted] on
[removed]
-Drunken_Jedi- on
Gambling stores are one of the few establishments I think should be banned. They’re a blight on the communities they target, the same goes for online casino ads on YouTube which I get bombarded with despite never gambled in my life so I have no idea why I get targeted by them.
FearTheGopher on
Check out Christopher Eccleston’s recent video too on gambling, it made me feel far more enraged by the whole situation.
quantum_splicer on
Aha I see an additional poor person tax ( by that I mean mechanics designed to exploit or entrench or detriment poor people by increasing social inequalities).
ApprehensiveKey1469 on
They certainly ban you if you win consistently. I researched machines and how they play in the early 2000s. I got banned from a national chain. Took 12 weeks. Machines were hybrid mechanical and digital at the time and the early days of digital were quite uncharted.
The industry itself conspires to stack the odds against you. The £100 stake limit on roulette machines was petitioned for by the industry itself to stop Martingale strategy being applied.
mattcannon2 on
Also breaking: the pope reveals his religious beliefs
Eymrich on
Gambling, sell gold, vape shops, liquor stores are all good indicators of how deprived an area is. It enforce a circle a circle of self destruction that become very difficult to escape.
buffetite on
It’s not the surprising. I’m sure if the stores made money in more affluent areas they would have them there too, but they don’t make money in those types of places.
I’m not really one for just banning things, but I do think the way gambling companies have ads everywhere at sports events is not a good thing. I like to put bets on sports myself, but these kind of ads can be seen by children etc as well. I don’t think we should be encouraging people to start gambling if all they want to do is watch a football match.
minecraftmedic on
Gambling (including the lottery) is an extra tax paid by people who don’t understand basic statistics or have poor impulse control.
These people tend to be less successful in life. (In that they are less educated and less wealthy, and socioeconomically deprived)
Comfortable_Love7967 on
I don’t know a single other addictive industry that is allowed to advertise / entice customers as gambling websites.
Any sports event ? Gambling adverts, any high street, bright signs for gambling, trying to quit gambling. Watching come dine with me with the wife? Oh William hill have sent me a 5 pound free bet, can’t hurt to spend the free fiver, boom 500 quid gone
It’s a toxic industry designed top to bottom to bottom to be addictive, while hiding behind “gamble responsibly”
PossibleSmoke8683 on
The biggest joke for me is the slogan “when the fun stops, stop”
When you’re an addict it’s never fun.
So this slogan works for average joe but for hardcore gambling addicts it’s nonsense .
cjc1983 on
So leeches/parasites. Come on BBC call them what they really are…
technurse on
To quote Johnny Harris, who I believe quoted someone else.
“Lotteries are a tax on hope” and it extends to bookies and other forms of gambling.
OilAdministrative197 on
The only way to escape poverty is to yeet it all on japanese virtual horse racing – sponsored by bet365. We can all see meritocracy dying and its depressingly appearing truer with time.
Scotsman1047 on
These and payday lenders are the worst, this shit keeps people trapped in debt.
Astriania on
Well yes, shops are where their customers are and/or where business rates and rent are low, this is a 0/10 on the surprise scale.
32 Comments
I’ll be on itv news at 7 this evening to chat about the proliferation of 24 hour adult gaming centres, the impact on deprived communities and what we can do about it.
This new data shows that despite their denials, this industry is deliberately targeting the people who can least afford it.
Editing to say- if you’re current or ex staff or have ever had a problem in one of these places and dont want to speak publicly, my inbox is open.
The more we talk about the issues with these places, the more power we have.
If youre struggling to help a family member, get in touch and i can link you up with support. You’re not alone.
This happened where I am, we had one small one for literally decades, it got pulled down and we now have two much larger ones, each is twice the size of the one that was there before.
I also used to work near somewhere really deprived, they have a few huge arcades
theres a few of them in the town where I live, the pedestrianised part of the town gets turned into a giant carpark while people dive in to the 1 of 5 betting places all within a short walking distance of an actual carpark.
Just like their algorithms for targeting problem gamblers are more likely to pick up those who cost them money rather than those who are vulnerable. Scummy industry. Hate the way they target advertising at young men.
Aaah yeah i used to work in a bookies in east Glasgow, lots of deprivation, 3 bookies within 5 mins of each other in the middle of a council estate. You’d see them first come in on their way back from the food shop to spend their change, do that often enough they’d start coming in when walking their dog, then whenever they have an odd fiver to stick in the machine… then a bit more. Ive seen the cycle again and again.
I am in favour of only allowing bookies to operate in town centres or next to major venues
I am hardly shocked that these companies target the most vulnerable communities. They are the absolute scum of the earth.
Supply goes to the demand…
What fucking journalistic moron can’t tell this?
Next breaking story, exclusive country clubs targeting ultra wealthy!
[deleted]
Of course they are, Where do you think get make the most cash?
You bet they do. These vultures know what they are doing.
Well yeah, they are feeding off people desperation. That one big win that will bring them out of money troubles. You dont see this in well off areas as people know its all a scam and dont want to risk as much. But you give someone a slim chance to pull out of poverty and then take advantage of the addictive nature of gambling and you have an endless pool of people willing to give you everything they have.
Its terrible and should be stopped. Just a few greedy people ruining thousands of people lives.
I know someone who worked for one of those pay day loan companies, he did the back end of the website and app. Said you could see the geolocation of people as they apply for those ridiculous loans. The amount of people taking them out well sat in bookies he said was shocking.
Not surprised. After travelling between wealthy and deprived areas of the U.K. I notice that there’s a lot of gambling shops in the deprived streets. Furthermore, you also a lot of army recruitment centres in the deprived areas.
If the only opportunities we’re giving people is unemployment, joining the army or spending free time gambling, then I guess we can’t be surprised about the mental health crisis.
An excerpt from ‘Butler to the World’ by Oliver Bullough, about Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals:
>’FOBTs? Money hoovers. They literally suck up any cash that is lying about the place. I think of us as like a massive cleaner,’ said one senior manager at a British bookmaker interviewed anonymously by Rebecca Cassidy. ‘In we go to a neighbourhood. Any spare cash, mate? In this slot here! That’s it, just shove it all in there. Oh, and enjoy a free cup of coffee while you’re at it, you fucking mug.’
Gambling is fucking toxic. I’ve seen the damage it can do to people.
Companies taking advantage of the poor desperate and under educated.
It gets blamed on the end user when they get hooked, the companies get a free ride with their “gamble responsibly” messages.
Watched a guy in a Welsh pub blow 20 quid on two spins of a machine, did it at least three times in the hour and a bit I was there
Just like how most National Lottery funding (tickets and scratchcards etc) come from the most deprived areas (people most likely to be desperate at a chance for wealth however fractional that is) when most lottery charity spending is in middle class areas where local infrastructure can organise itself effectively enough to put together the right proposal to win said charity funds.
Like so much of capitalism, taking from those with the least and giving it to those who need it the least.
I’m not saying national lottery charity work isn’t good, just it’s not as beneficial as it might be if we instead just taxed the richest individuals and corporations properly instead of letting globalist regimes cry poverty through billionaire owned media.
Happy Monday!
[removed]
Gambling stores are one of the few establishments I think should be banned. They’re a blight on the communities they target, the same goes for online casino ads on YouTube which I get bombarded with despite never gambled in my life so I have no idea why I get targeted by them.
Check out Christopher Eccleston’s recent video too on gambling, it made me feel far more enraged by the whole situation.
Aha I see an additional poor person tax ( by that I mean mechanics designed to exploit or entrench or detriment poor people by increasing social inequalities).
They certainly ban you if you win consistently. I researched machines and how they play in the early 2000s. I got banned from a national chain. Took 12 weeks. Machines were hybrid mechanical and digital at the time and the early days of digital were quite uncharted.
The industry itself conspires to stack the odds against you. The £100 stake limit on roulette machines was petitioned for by the industry itself to stop Martingale strategy being applied.
Also breaking: the pope reveals his religious beliefs
Gambling, sell gold, vape shops, liquor stores are all good indicators of how deprived an area is. It enforce a circle a circle of self destruction that become very difficult to escape.
It’s not the surprising. I’m sure if the stores made money in more affluent areas they would have them there too, but they don’t make money in those types of places.
I’m not really one for just banning things, but I do think the way gambling companies have ads everywhere at sports events is not a good thing. I like to put bets on sports myself, but these kind of ads can be seen by children etc as well. I don’t think we should be encouraging people to start gambling if all they want to do is watch a football match.
Gambling (including the lottery) is an extra tax paid by people who don’t understand basic statistics or have poor impulse control.
These people tend to be less successful in life. (In that they are less educated and less wealthy, and socioeconomically deprived)
I don’t know a single other addictive industry that is allowed to advertise / entice customers as gambling websites.
Any sports event ? Gambling adverts, any high street, bright signs for gambling, trying to quit gambling. Watching come dine with me with the wife? Oh William hill have sent me a 5 pound free bet, can’t hurt to spend the free fiver, boom 500 quid gone
It’s a toxic industry designed top to bottom to bottom to be addictive, while hiding behind “gamble responsibly”
The biggest joke for me is the slogan “when the fun stops, stop”
When you’re an addict it’s never fun.
So this slogan works for average joe but for hardcore gambling addicts it’s nonsense .
So leeches/parasites. Come on BBC call them what they really are…
To quote Johnny Harris, who I believe quoted someone else.
“Lotteries are a tax on hope” and it extends to bookies and other forms of gambling.
The only way to escape poverty is to yeet it all on japanese virtual horse racing – sponsored by bet365. We can all see meritocracy dying and its depressingly appearing truer with time.
These and payday lenders are the worst, this shit keeps people trapped in debt.
Well yes, shops are where their customers are and/or where business rates and rent are low, this is a 0/10 on the surprise scale.