Would A Super Casino Increase The Number Of Gambling Addicts In The UK?
Gordon Brown’s recent comments regarding a review of the super casino plans in the UK have led many journalists to conclude that the proposed Manchester super casino has been shelved.
So where do we stand? Why might the PM be back-peddling on this issue? Those in opposition to super casinos, apparently the middle classes who will in general be totally unaffected by them, trot out an increase in gambling addiction as their main concern. Is this a serious concern or just Daily Mail knee-jerk nonsense designed to garner headlines?
Will a new building encourage those that don’t gamble to be suddenly overcome by the urge to gamble? No.
Will it make those that already gamble, gamble more? No but it will offer them better surroundings and greater choices.
Would more off-licences or pubs increase our country’s alcoholism statistics? No. But if you think they would, why are there not restrictions on the number of licences granted?
If Town A were completely devoid of all licenced premises and there was a sudden influx of pubs and off-licences, would alcohol consumption in the area increase? Yes.
Would the number of alcoholics increase as a result? No. Alcoholics in the area would have been travelling out of the area to feed their addiction prior to the licenced premises introduction. They would however be able to drink more locally now. That is not the same as such a circumstance creating new addicts.
Gambling addicts in the Manchester area already have casinos to play in. Is the next step to shut these down too?
By far the greater evil in gambling addiction is the humble high street betting shop. There are literally thousands of them scattered throughout the UK yet their propensity for creating gambling addicts (or not as the case may be) has never been discussed. Their owners and holding companies populate the FTSE 100 and are accepted mainstays of our economy.
The proposed super casino in Manchester would not have accommodated anywhere near as many gamblers as the total number of betting shops in Manchester and its boroughs already do. It would have created short-term and long-term employment and helped to regenerate a relatively poor area of the city. It might still do. Who knows?
Again, we want your thoughts on this.
Our pundit and gambling expert, Chip Stack, had the following to say on the subject:
……are not my thing (bricks and mortar casinos). Why would I venture out across town in the pouring rain to play in less comfortable surroundings? Are you serious? They don’t give me monthly bonuses like my online casino favourites do and they usually have a minimum bet of £5 per hand whereas I can gamble online for much lower stakes than that if I want.
I’m against any nanny state making decisions that are “in the public interest”. Butt out and concentrate on spending our taxes more efficiently, I say!
Er thanks, Chip, try not to mince your words next time! Have your say below.
Posted by CSI Team
