Perhaps the last Labour Party would have been wise to make a 'U' Turn over their gambling free-for-all measures.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....ter-partys-plans.html

At last now they are out of power, they are admitting they made a mistake, even though they were warned at the time.

/// At the time, the Daily Mail led the way in warning Labour about the dangers of its plans for a gambling free-for-all. ///

[Baldric]

"The last Labour Party?" are they not the same Labour Party that are in opposition at the moment or did I blink and miss something?

[bazwillrun]

I remember the day the free for all was announced, I was listening to one of phony blairs bints cabinet monsters (HH possibly) on the radio saying how there was no research to indicate that there would be an increase in people with gambling problems and getting into debt etc etc as a result.

i nearly crashed my car on hearing that !

[jake-the-peg]

And the Tories never got anything wrong?

[Zeuhl]

The introduction and development of the Lottery was a particularly devious and dishonest process.

Extensive debate and 'consultation' at the time was all on the basis of a harmless once-a week flutter, on Saturday evenings.

Thunderball, Mid-week, Euro, scratchcards, daily play etc etc

Just how many opportunities each week do Camelot now have to extract money from the nation.

[naomi24]

Zeuhl, I seem to recall the devious process went a bit further than that. Didn’t Richard Branson’s bid to run the lottery – on the basis that all profits would go to good causes – lose out to greedy Camelot?

[Zeuhl]

You're right.

Though of course Camelot are now going to grab as much kudos as possible from the Olympics

[anotheoldgit]

jake-the-peg

/// And the Tories never got anything wrong? ///

What a non constructive argument.

This thread is regarding Labour's irresponsible Gambling free-for-all measures that they introduced without any concern for the effects they might have had on those unfortunates who believe that they can improve their lifestyles by means of making money via gambling.

[Mick-Talbot]

'The people' ruined their own lives.


I gamble but only what I can afford. Why blame other people for your weaknesses ?


You were able to do it online before those machines were introduced into the betting shops.

[FredPuli43]

Is there any serious study showing that this relaxation has caused an increase in gambling addiction, or, indeed, blighted communities? Or is it just gut feeling?

Certainly can't see that changing the rules on betting tax, which the DM seems to think a factor, made any difference. The old system was just a nuisance and a clumsy way of proceeding.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....jailed-18-months.html

There were some who benefited from this Gambling Addicts profits, more than can be said for the legitimate bookmakers, and this guy got 18 months.

/// The court heard that gambling was Alston Sr's passion and something he engaged in on a daily basis, which his money-making scheme had helped to fund. ///

/// 'He is a useful member of the community, charming and engages in a boxing club in a deprived area where he has given up his time and on some occasions used his resources to help. ///

/// 'If the figures were scaled down, from the gambling he was making approximately £9,000 a year. ///

/// 'From the loans he was making a profit of £8,000 a year. In the period we have records for, £22,000 of the stake money, people won just over £19,000, he made a profit of just over £3,000. ///

/// 'The vast majority of people approached by Trading Standards did not want to come forward. A number of these people had become his friend and had dealt with him for a large number of years. ///

[LazyGun]

Yes, they should have listened to the objections at the time and not gone ahead with the changes.

Plenty of people sympathetic to the Labour party objected at the time. They chose to go ahead with their plans and ignore those warnings, and now it would seem that the warnings were justified.

I suppose we should be thankful that at least one of the senior party members is willing to publically apologise.....

[Gromit]

And two years into the Coalition Government any sign of them repealling Labour's mistakes.

Nope, thought not.

[Gromit]

It was a Conservative Government that introduced the National Lottery.
Britons spent £5,822,400,000 on lottery tickets last year.

[DaisyNonna]

I donot do the lottery. Not holier than thou, dislike the odds.

[jno]

as Gromit says, the easing of restrictions followed the introduction by the previous government of the national lottery (about which warnings were also given). It appeared the public enjoyed the opportunity to waste their money and both governments thought they should be given the opportunity to do so.

Do you think they should have that opportunity?

[jno]

I seem to have put a lot of opportunities into that that previous post; please ignore every second one.

[jackthehat]

Tut, tut, jno.

Don't you know that you should never ignore an opportunity when it presents itself? :o)

[jno]

not only that, I wrote "that that". I feel the hot breath of the grammar police feeling my collar.

And the mixed metaphor police.

[jno]

PS, sorry, I seem to be strolling slightly off topic, aog. But the question at the end of my first post was serious.

[whiskeryron]

Would it not be better if the ''NATIONAL'' Lottery funded or at least helped to fund The National Health Service & instead of 1 person winning millions of pounds it was redesigned so that more people could possibly win 1 million pounds ?

WR.