Industrial grade hypocrisy at its finest

maxd

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Exclusive: Tory party donors Fred and Peter Done run health and wellbeing firm offering treatment to government staff

The brothers who own high street bookmaker Betfred are making millions from a business that treats public sector staff for health problems including gambling addiction ...
 
Would it make things better if they would stop their health business?

What would make it better would be if they offered those services free of charge, given the fortune they are reaping from an industry that is known to cause societal issues that public services then need to address. Or perhaps they could give generous donations to an established charity helping addicted players or a gambling addiction service. Otherwise the conflict of interest, especially since it concerns public funds, is outrageous. When people's faith in the system is at an historic low that kind of thing is rot from the inside out.
 
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Sure it would be cool if they would offer services for free but still don't see as huge crime to provide health services (not only for gambling addicts what i unerstood from article), there can be easy decision made that public funds are not used for their services.

It of course looks big conflict of interests, but still don't see their business being pure evil like it is made to sound in that article (very well in that). There are quite many double standards in this world and personally would counting this article to be one.

When the start point is that everyone who is anyhow benefiting gaming industry have goal to make more problem gamblers to benefit more (like in this article, of course bit larger scale than many others), we have loads of conflicts in interests everywhere.
 
... we have loads of conflicts in interests everywhere.

You've got to draw the line somewhere or there is no line. Shit gets shoveled one scoop at a time.
 
You've got to draw the line somewhere or there is no line. Shit gets shoveled one scoop at a time.

That's the thing, difficult part is where exactly to draw that. I really don't support idea that all gaming companies would start to open healthcare businesses which would be specialized only for problem gamblers but i still don't agree with that article that they have done something extremely evil.

We all probably have different opinios where lines in any rules should be drawn and where ever it will be done, some people think it's good, some it's bad and some are not sure where they would like it drawn.
 
The fact that they are essentially acting as government contractors getting paid to clean up a mess that their other business creates pretty much speaks for itself. If you're truly looking that's where you draw the line.
 
Iain Duncan Smith, who co-chairs a cross-party group on gambling, said:

“The whole process strikes me as somewhat cynical. You create a problem and then you get paid to try and solve it.

“At every turn, the only thing that matters to gambling companies is to find more ways to make money off the same people.

It does look a bit like that. The gambling treatment part should be 50/50 subsidised between betfred and the govt and then offered free to gambling addicts. It's a life and death matter for some when they reach crisis point.
 
If Betfred were a building contractor for instance who created a lot of toxic waste on one hand then turned around and got paid in the other hand -- in public funds! -- to clean it up I seriously doubt anyone would applaud their efforts. There's an obvious incentive to create more problems -- or at least stoically ignore the ones you do create -- in order to get paid to solve them.

Not seeing the problem here is worrying, to say the least. Especially true since Betfred has an abysmal record when it comes to dealing with player complaints. See the review, Betfred Casino Review, out of touch with player community - Casinomeister , for details.
 
The fact that they are essentially acting as government contractors getting paid to clean up a mess that their other business creates pretty much speaks for itself. If you're truly looking that's where you draw the line.

Yup, i didn't mean that i support or even agree to that is cool, just that i don't really know where that line would be best optimal to draw.

From this article not very detailed description about company and arrangements in all, didn't get very good picture what actually is happening but for sure wanted reactions how terrible things these evil people are doing.
 
Well, there is a lot of dastardly sh*t being done by gambling companies. Not all of them, of course, but no one should hesitate for a second to scrutinize the gaming industry and speak out about the many, many misdeeds that are done. The same applies to players of course but then they are not the ones getting money stuffed into their back pockets by the government.
 
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They might as well have a payday loan company and a chain of funeral parlours too. Keep it all under one umbrella. They can take care of the addict gambler every step of the way, from their first bet to their last breath...
Fucking disgusting vultures.
 
They might as well have a payday loan company and a chain of funeral parlours too. Keep it all under one umbrella. They can take care of the addict gambler every step of the way, from their first bet to their last breath...
Fucking disgusting vultures.

That's actually something really happened (not in UK though) that same people were quite strongly engaged to online gambling and payday loans, there i can say for sure that even i feel that line is grossed :)
 
I think the Done brothers donated to the conservative party in 2016, but I'm sure that has no bearing on the govt's mind when choosing who gets awarded lucrative contracts.

Maybe all in all it would be better if that they just stuck to running a gambling business and leave healthcare to bupa, the nhs etc..
 
This is almost David Icke-esque in its Problem-Reaction-Solution method, and though it happens likely in many other industries I can see how the gambling industry could stoop to such depths.

And yes David Icke thinks the Queen's an actual reptile but nobody's perfect
 

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