Its All A Gamble By The Iom Government

[Albert Tatlock]

Whilst I would be the first to defend people's right to do what they want as long as it's within the law, there are clearly many people addicted to gambling, and the addiction problem is getting worse, particularly IMO as more and more youngsters are sucked into these free poker sites where they use 'play money'. I have heard, first-hand, several kids think they can eventually do this 'professionally', that it's 'easy money' and all about 'skill' and 'little to do with probability'.

 

I also have a mate who, before he knew it, had pi**ed through £25,000, raised via various credit cards, and got himself into a lot of bother - though five years later he has now cleared his debts. He lives on his own and has suffered from severe depression most of his life, but no-one protected him from doing it. My point being, that there are a lot of vulnerable people who do need protecting from themselves, and it is always going to be difficult to protect them.

 

However, I do think they should change the law so that you can only register on these poker sites even using 'play money' when you are 18 and above, and that the same membership checks should be carried out as for real money. It is analogous to the cigarette companies of the past getting kids hooked when they are underage, and not of an age when they are able to make rational decisions, never mind understand the mathematics of simple probability. Whilst adults, even vulnerable adults, are responsible for their own actions, IMO we are responsible for teaching our children, and for the actions of our children, and children do need to be protected.

 

Gambling is a tax on the mathematically inept, because for every winner there's a mass of losers as the game is based predominantely on chance. A child, demonstrably in my experience, has less ability to understand that concept, than does an adult.

[Lonan3]

I'm not particularly opposed to gambling - after all, it seems to be part of human nature since it goes back as far as recorded history can take us - even though, apart from an occasional 'spur of the moment' lottery ticket, I am definitely not a gambler (I still have a chip from the last time I gambled on the tables in the casino - on it are the words 'Palace Hotel & Casino' and it's value is two shillings and sixpence).

There have been many nights when, parked at the back door hoping for a fare, some near-demented soul has leapt into the cab saying "Take me to a cashpoint. I'm X number of pounds down and I've got to get it back!"

Obviously, this doesn't happen now that they have the facilities inside, but I can't help wondering how many lives were, at the very least, given a severe jolt by things like this.

Again, I have no argument against online gaming, purely and simply because it doesn't affect me personally, but I don't think its the job of our government to promote, or boast about, them being based here.