This is a fascinating article about a subject on which I knew practically nothing. And that, I think, is the problem with the author’s view that this could be a “populist dividing line”. Not enough people know about gambling, or care about it, for it to become a major factor in the way people vote. I’m not saying it isn’t important (or scandalous), it just doesn’t affect enough people’s lives.
Peter B
1 year ago
Only New Labour could delude themselves that an obviously zero sum game like gambling “creates wealth”. The idiocy of this was quite obvious at the time.
Douglas H
1 year ago
Thanks. I am stunned that it’s legal to advertise betting websites on mainstream media and that these organisations are allowed to sponsor sports teams etc. They’re the equivalent of cigarettes yet we treat them like they’re something harmless
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago
The biggest mistake made, not least because middle classes dont do racing ( what would the neighbours think?) was Britain not following the rest of the world and maintaing a Tote monopoly. Bookmakers had so much ” info’ on politicians and back in the day Peers, that they got their way.
France’s entire racing industy is paid for and funded by The Loto, and it works so well.
Bookmakers simply don’t pay their way to the racing industry, and have used racing to get into a host of other essentially fixed profit margin gambling.
I conducted a survey for the then British Horseracing Board back a few years, as to why horse racing was so slow to attract sponsors in comparison to motor racing, soccer, rugby, tennis and cricket?
The answer was that products aimed at middle class markets such as car makers, wine businesses, and a host of others, knew that the middle classes still had the stigma from their / their parents move into white collar, which said ” no betting in horses.. it displays your working class roots”!!
what changed? As I pointed out in my report, the advent of capital markets trading… which is essentially betting, saw the Pooter taboo disappear!!! The report was never used!
Jim UK
1 year ago
Maybe I missed it but there is no mention of video games with loot box mechanics, players who are often children are more than encouraged to gamble real money for in game items, in game items that often give them an advantage, there are some real horror stories out there of children running up massive debts after getting hold of their parents debit or credit details.
This is a fascinating article about a subject on which I knew practically nothing. And that, I think, is the problem with the author’s view that this could be a “populist dividing line”. Not enough people know about gambling, or care about it, for it to become a major factor in the way people vote. I’m not saying it isn’t important (or scandalous), it just doesn’t affect enough people’s lives.
Only New Labour could delude themselves that an obviously zero sum game like gambling “creates wealth”. The idiocy of this was quite obvious at the time.
Thanks. I am stunned that it’s legal to advertise betting websites on mainstream media and that these organisations are allowed to sponsor sports teams etc. They’re the equivalent of cigarettes yet we treat them like they’re something harmless
The biggest mistake made, not least because middle classes dont do racing ( what would the neighbours think?) was Britain not following the rest of the world and maintaing a Tote monopoly. Bookmakers had so much ” info’ on politicians and back in the day Peers, that they got their way.
France’s entire racing industy is paid for and funded by The Loto, and it works so well.
Bookmakers simply don’t pay their way to the racing industry, and have used racing to get into a host of other essentially fixed profit margin gambling.
I conducted a survey for the then British Horseracing Board back a few years, as to why horse racing was so slow to attract sponsors in comparison to motor racing, soccer, rugby, tennis and cricket?
The answer was that products aimed at middle class markets such as car makers, wine businesses, and a host of others, knew that the middle classes still had the stigma from their / their parents move into white collar, which said ” no betting in horses.. it displays your working class roots”!!
what changed? As I pointed out in my report, the advent of capital markets trading… which is essentially betting, saw the Pooter taboo disappear!!! The report was never used!
Maybe I missed it but there is no mention of video games with loot box mechanics, players who are often children are more than encouraged to gamble real money for in game items, in game items that often give them an advantage, there are some real horror stories out there of children running up massive debts after getting hold of their parents debit or credit details.