Affordability Checks

barjon

barjon

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I’m in a bit of a quandary, on the one hand I object in principle to any intrusion into my financial affairs, but on the the other hand I want to bet with reputable bookmakers.

I perhaps wouldn't mind so much if I thought it was going to meet its supposed aim of stopping problem gambling. As I see it problem gamblers will find a way to gamble (that is their problem) so the checks and restrictions will just inconvenience everyone else. Although I have every sympathy with those who have such a gambling compulsion I don’t think this is the way to help them overcome it.
 
Agree affordability checks are not the way to solve the problem. The bookmakers need to do more to identify problems and take appropriate action including not taking any bets from certain people and advising other books accordingly.

It may be that they need to target offers and gimmicks more effectively. If I had a gambling addiction then it would only be fuelled by the number of notifications I get every day encouraging me to bet on some special or other or even play slots/casino


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Aye, but they won't legislate against the bookies while ever they believe (erroneously) they're providng income to racing.
 
Bookies know exactly who the problem gamblers are and it's not difficult to identify them, however what would banning such customers do to their profit margins?

I'm not entirely convinced the bookies are at fault though, do we ask publicans to assess all customers to identify alcoholics and then insist they don't serve them? Either gambling is legal or its not!

As barjon quite correctly points out, an addict will get their fix one way or another, the challenge is to prevent it before it gets to that point.
 
I have a mate who I would identify as a problem gambler - he's recently had to go through a process of debt consolidation - part of which involves him showing his banking details on a monthly basis - and he's been told he can't have any transactions through bookmakers (as this would be money he could have given to his creditors).

An affordability check would probably serve to help him, I think.

His uncle puts on the odd bet for him here and there but I witnessed what I can only describe as a meltdown one night, where he was betting with his uncle's money and losing heavily ("give me a chance to make it back" he cried). I was placing the bets through my phone and eventually I just said "No. I'm not putting any more bets on for you."
 
That is a right bad situation. The problem is that with things as they are now under this regime, the desperation will get worse. You did the right thing.

By the way Simmo, we had some punch ups in the past, my fault mainly. You come across as a decent guy, I fooked up falling out with you. I was not in a good place, but that isn't really a good excuse, all I have though.
 
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EC21 said:
That is a right bad situation. The problem is that with things as they are now under this regime, the desperation will get worse. You did the right thing.

By the way Simmo, we had some punch ups in the past, my fault mainly. You come across as a decent guy, I fooked up falling out with you. I was not in a good place, but that isn't really a good excuse, all I have though.
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If we had punch ups I don't remember them so don't worry about it. I'm a much different person now too.
 
simmo said:
I have a mate who I would identify as a problem gambler - he's recently had to go through a process of debt consolidation - part of which involves him showing his banking details on a monthly basis - and he's been told he can't have any transactions through bookmakers (as this would be money he could have given to his creditors).

An affordability check would probably serve to help him, I think.

His uncle puts on the odd bet for him here and there but I witnessed what I can only describe as a meltdown one night, where he was betting with his uncle's money and losing heavily ("give me a chance to make it back" he cried). I was placing the bets through my phone and eventually I just said "No. I'm not putting any more bets on for you."
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What kindof stakes we talking here?
 
Hundreds to get him into trouble in the first place. The night I was there it was £30 a time, but he was £300 down in the space of an hour.
 
Twenty plus years ago when I was living in London I went to do my shopping one Saturday morning in Camden Town.It was the Saturday before Royal Ascot -a horrible day full of impossible handicaps.I met a friend/acquaintance who was having twenty pound forecasts on the early morning dogs.He asked me what I was doing and I showed him a fiver each way on a 5/1 shot in a bad each way race.
Came back at 7:30that night to collect my place money and my mate was still there after nearly 9 hours.He told me he had lost every penny he had and after that went to the busy pub that he managed and emptied the safe.I think the best part of 8000 was gone and he was now desperately punting tricasts.Eventually he asked me if there was anything I could do to help him blast his way out of trouble.I gave him 30 to do 3 numbers on 49's.Needless to say that didn't get anywhere.
I'm sure a lot of us have horror stories.
 
After the Cheltenham Festival I hope.

Seriously...in answer to your question...we are waiting on when this government paper is published, after X amount of Prime Ministers and whoever else in charge at any one time.

I just hope this paper strikes some sort of balance, in terms of tackling problem gambling.

You could argue the affordability checks are already happening.

I hope they don't get themselves in a situation where they over or undereact and then have to keep putting out new papers every year.

The Gambling Act 2005, which allowed gambling adverts all over our t.v's all hours of day and the authorisation for bookies to take £100 every 20 seconds or so on the FOBT's was what really opened the can of worms that in many ways the industry is still tackling today.

I could and would blame this on New Labour and Co but in truth a bit like the Iraq War, the Conservatives approved it and would have done it ten times more over.

Again though, its £2 a spin now on the FOBTs, and on the occasions I pop in to a bookies they are already a lot quieter.

Has most of this white paper that eventually gets published already been implemented? That's the question.
 
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LUKE said:
Twenty plus years ago when I was living in London I went to do my shopping one Saturday morning in Camden Town.It was the Saturday before Royal Ascot -a horrible day full of impossible handicaps.I met a friend/acquaintance who was having twenty pound forecasts on the early morning dogs.He asked me what I was doing and I showed him a fiver each way on a 5/1 shot in a bad each way race.
Came back at 7:30that night to collect my place money and my mate was still there after nearly 9 hours.He told me he had lost every penny he had and after that went to the busy pub that he managed and emptied the safe.I think the best part of 8000 was gone and he was now desperately punting tricasts.Eventually he asked me if there was anything I could do to help him blast his way out of trouble.I gave him 30 to do 3 numbers on 49's.Needless to say that didn't get anywhere.
I'm sure a lot of us have horror stories.
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That is a very sad tale.this is a real case of problem gamblers.i feel sorry to anybody with a problem like this.
 
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