Everything’s changing

[Scotgirl]

As a uk player I’m saddened how fast gambling is changing so quickly. I can hardly keep up. So many casinos closing. And good ones too. What will the gambling scene look like in a years time?

Whilst some changes are positive they seem to come at a cost. Will land based casinos become more of an attractive option?

 

[EkJR]

It's the price that's being paid for removing the barriers in the 2000s. The Labour government at the time removed numerous barriers basically allowing FOBTs to flourish, online casinos to be licensed easily without checks and no real regulation for years. It's only become a problem due to the huge rise in compulsive gambling, it has and continues to destroy lives and is a huge problem now. The restrictions had to be brought in and it needs to be turned. It's becoming a safer environment for those who can gamble responsibly and becoming impossible for those with a problem to get round things. That for me is a good thing. The better online casinos should still be around.

 

[zreb]

Any good sources on the rise or rates of problem gambling, UK or in general? I was under the impression that it usually remained pretty steady regardless of the regulatory environment, but would be interested if that impression is incorrect.

 

[EkJR]

Any good sources on the rise or rates of problem gambling, UK or in general? I was under the impression that it usually remained pretty steady regardless of the regulatory environment, but would be interested if that impression is incorrect.

Last official statistics I can see in 2018 put it over 400000 officially reported as 'problem gamblers' in the UK but in reality it will be a lot higher than that.