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Neuroliberation - challenging the gambling act 2005

Neuroliberation | 18.08.2012 00:35 | Culture | Health | Birmingham | World

Neuroliberation is a new campaign which aims to challenge the gambling act 2005 and raise awareness of social manifestations caused by the deregulating of the gambling industry in the UK.



Since 2005, a lot has changed in high streets and town centers throughout the UK.

Many of us are aware of our local business's being driven out of our communities by the likes of corporations such as Sainsbury's and Tesco....but what about betting shops?

The liberalisation of gambling has been driven by various MP's in parliament that have links with the gambling industry, and betting shops have started to cluster in our communities, taking advantage of empty premises left by local business's struggling in the recession. (Ladbrokes , William Hill, Betfred, The Tote, Coral, Paddy Power and many others)

Problem gambling is becoming rife in the UK, and the gambling industry are trying very hard to cover up these facts, claiming that only 1% of people that gamble are problem gamblers.
The problem with this claim is that almost all of the research on problem gambling is provided by the gambling industry, as are nearly all of the few academics studying this issue.

Isn't problem gambling down to the individuals responsibility?

It depends what angle you take on things.
Before 2005 betting shops weren't really allowed to advertise as openly , now we see gambling adverts everywhere we go, they are pretty hard to avoid.

Fixed odds betting terminals containing the 'electronic roulette' games have been dubbed the 'crack cocaine' of gambling , and are sucking in many of our young people.

The campaign was set up after its founder suffered a two-year chronic addiction to the electronic roulette machines in 2009.

"To say that only 1% of people that gamble in betting shops are problem gamblers is an outright lie.
I spent hours everyday in betting shops , the numbers of problem gamblers are a lot higher than the general public perceive because unless you'v been inside them you wouldn't understand.
These are breeding grounds for depression, family breakups and cognitive impairment" claims campaign founder Ben Thacker.

For every one problem a gambler , on average a further eight to ten people are effected by the individual.
The social impact of this new culture of gambling is yet to be fully understood.

The campaign currently has a petition to ban betting shops from being located in family environments where children and young people are likely to be (such as high streets and town centers), in a bid to stop the gambling industry taking our communities back into the dark ages.

"The campaign is moving slowly at the moment" added Mr Thacker , "It seems the gambling industry are succeeding in covering up its mental health effects on our society."



You can sign the petition at >  http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/36386

For more information about the campaign or to sign up to its mailing list contact  neuroliberation@gmail.com

You can also view the campaigns blog at-  http://neuroliberation.blogspot.co.uk/

Neuroliberation
- Homepage: neuroliberation.blogspot.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

So simplictic

19.08.2012 14:17

The idea that betting shops need to be kept out of view from children and young people because they only need to see a few betting shops and they will become problem gamblers.
Problem gambling is rooted in issues far more complex than the avalisbility and location of betting shops. Banning them won't make the problem go away.

Dan Factor


Gambling Reform and Society Perception

19.08.2012 17:06

Hi guys !

Good job! Are you are of GRASP (Gambling Reform and Society Perception) www.grasp-group.org;?

I think there could be some good synergy between us.

Best regards

Phil

Phil Mawer
Author "Overcoming Gambling"

phil mawer
mail e-mail: info@gamblersaloud.com
- Homepage: www.gamblersaloud.com


Just not sure

19.08.2012 19:07

How this is going to tackle problem gambling. Surely those with serious problems with gambling will just go somewhere else.

Dan Factor


@Dan Factor

19.08.2012 21:05

There has been far less research into problem gambling done by the UK government than in other western countries. Studies of a similar nature in countries such as america and Canada show that the locality of a betting premises is a major influence on its communities.

Somebody with a gambling problem is far more likely to recover if they have a longer journey to feed their habit.
But however the more opportunities for them to gamble there is, the less likely they are to recover.

Neuroliberation
- Homepage: http://neuroliberation.blogspot.co.uk/


@dan

20.08.2012 00:22

How this is going to tackle problem gambling. Surely those with serious problems with gambling will just go somewhere else.

Perhaps thats true for current gamblers. But, i think if the opportunity to gamble is not as convenient, then the number of people who stop gambling would increase.

The area you don't address is the next generation of gamblers. Without betting shops on the doorstep, then the chance of get addicted to gambler would decrease. A lot of people get 'hooked' to gambler by just trying it, they arnt born addicted.

Obviously, there is the internet etc,etc. But i would imagine that less opportunities to gamble would equate to a smaller percentage of problem gamblers in the long term.

addressed


FOBT marketing

20.08.2012 07:25

I believe it (the problem) IS all about accessibility to gambling and the intensive marketing by the morally bankrupt industry. If you are a once or twice a year punter walking down his/her high street shopping on a Saturday morning and are confornted by someone offering free goes on a free to enter FOBT competition you are far more likely to be tempted (sucked in) to a gambling addiction than when betting shops had blacked out windows and were tucked away and rarely seen on the High Street.

phil mawer
mail e-mail: info@gamblersaloud.com
- Homepage: www.gamblersaloud.com


@addressed

20.08.2012 10:43

"But, i think if the opportunity to gamble is not as convenient, then the number of people who stop gambling would increase.

The area you don't address is the next generation of gamblers. Without betting shops on the doorstep, then the chance of get addicted to gambler would decrease. A lot of people get 'hooked' to gambler by just trying it, they arnt born addicted."

So really this is a campaign to ban people from gambling by making it harder for them to get access to gambling shops because just trying it would get them addicted?


Dan Factor


@Dan Factor

20.08.2012 11:58

This isn't a campaign to ban gambling...

This is a campaign to not have betting shops in the hubs of our community, where children and young people are likely to be influenced by its advertising and "free plays".



Neuroliberation


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