The Greed of the Gambling Industry

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GREED...... 3 ****** bookmakers on one UK high street, each with the MAXIMUM 4 FOBTs allowed in each shop.

(Fact as reported on the Panorama program).

Possibly missing the point here Shep. So apologies if I am, but as a CG isn't it a bit of pot calling the kettle black? Did we gamble for greed ? I did, I always thought that making a quick easy buck was a way to escape reality and greed got in my way with what's important, ie values and living a honest healthy life.

Has the gambling industry with regard to the FOBT terminals just clever people who came up with a clever idea in combating our very own greed to fill there hefty bank balance.

Have always struggled with debates like this as I've always seen it as negative and some what taking the onus of us who feed the gambling industry greed by our own greed?

I know for myself if I came up with a great idea how I could honestly fleece money without putting the hard work in, i probably would!

Corruption has always made the world go round since day dot and will continue so as the world revolves

And the only thing we can possibly change is by getting the message out that the industry is just another blood suckling money making industry a bit akin to MP's/ the Vatican / royal family etc.

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Possibly guilty of not articulating myself very well. Hence the reason why I steer clear of debates. But, regarding paragraph 4, I was referring to when I was in my gambling haze and saw making easy money my route to happiness. The easy life .. It took me along time to realise that it doesn't work that way....

Agreed it comes down to morals. And also agreed, I possibly don't even have a valid point apart from we can't blame the industry for our downfalls, just like I can't blame a pub for my alcohol consumption, the cra.ck dealer for crac.k heads.. The list goes on..

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Good morning,

It is a forum and people agree & disagree.

Volcano you mention the "haze" when we gambled. We didn't care less, we gambled out of control. Only if we were able to stand back for a while, but we couldn't because we couldn't stop!

7 months down the line for me I can now step back and look at things that were blanked out in the "haze" of addiction. I guess we were blinkered, blind to the fact.

Take from the word "Greed" what you wish, I know where I'm coming from. I don't blame the industry for my addiction, it was all my fault, so I totally agree with your well written last paragraph about the pub and drug addicts. We chose the gambling route so making others aware of where this addiction can lead you is a must.

Thanks for your comments will read again later today.

All the best.

Let's look at the definition of the word greed;

intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

Completely agree Shep in what your saying. But what's the definition of a good business? I'm not a business man but a clever strategy in this techno age. There a business who deal in others greed.

I personally would love to go back to time zero, such as Pol Pots theory but not so extreme. We're a greedy world and nothings ever gonna change that.

On a selfish point of view, I always gambled from an early age. But, either trod water or head just beneath the surface with a snorkel before FOBT ' s. It was a slow death, FOBT ' s bought me too my knees and I started to drown.

So possibly will be hung here, but which way would you rather go in death, slow or fast?

I hope I'm not coming across as someone who thinks what bookies do is right, but we will never stop this run away train, just possibly tell others to get off it.

Wish you well Shep. Enjoy watching you evolve

I was never really a fobt man but I do like this thread.
I did a little Google download a few pdf file's and this is what I came back with fobt average takings are worth 2 billion per year. (profit) going on how many machine's there are country wide it equates to an average of 128 thousand pound per shop per year (profit) or 171 per day per machine. 650 million of this said profit goes straight to guess who?
The government who just so happen couldn't find a link between these machines and a rise in problem gambaling
Not a bad read on Google but a lot is gloss another note was the average loss is 11 pound per hour

There you go Deano, great point. So who are the greedy ******? The greedy f*****g government who controls everything. We're mere serps being corrupted and wasting our energy in focusing on greedy gambling industries..

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Very interesting stats Deano. Thanks for the research. Was the average loss of £7 per hour the punter playing or the machine?

Volcano, so have you been persuaded on the greed of the gambling industry? Your last comment seems to prove so.

Where there is money to be made there is always greed....

The government getting there share is probably a fixed Tax revenue. Compare this to the however drugs are distributed onto our streets. The local dealers may make hundreds, the middle men thousands, but the cartels make millions. Sadly it looks like the bookies are the Cartels, feeding the Governmemt middle men. Both examples don't care where the funds came from or the pain and wrecked lives of the end user from the use of their products. All the cartel want is more and more, sheer greed IMO.

All the best.