Gambling adverts are a bad bet and a ban would be welcome - Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Bob Watson, Baildon.
Roulette played on a fixed odds betting terminal.Roulette played on a fixed odds betting terminal.
Roulette played on a fixed odds betting terminal.

The article by Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute for Economic Affairs (The Yorkshire Post March 18) seemed to me to be acting as an apologist for the gambling industry.

In it he stated that “the informal coalition that successfully banished fixed-odds betting terminals from bookmakers is looking for new dragons to slay. On the agenda is a total ban of gambling advertising and sponsorship.”

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He appears to think that no such action is needed, but I couldn’t disagree more with that viewpoint.

Has he not seen the massive increase in gambling adverts that are thrust before us at every turn?

Sky programmes, in particular, are inundated with such adverts, but they are not alone.

These are all meant to sink into the minds of us all, and especially the vulnerable. Even Bingo adverts have been more prevalent, no doubt on the basis that if you get them hooked on something seemingly quite innocuous, they will then move on to more serious gambling.

All in all, I totally disagree with his stance, and would very much welcome a total ban on all forms of gambling adverts and sponsorship for the good of us all.

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