Food for thought re Gambling

Nicky Henderson is a conman

The funny thing about it is the trainer's don't even hide the fact their associated with bookmakers

They're wearing their Unibet and Coral hats and jackets on TV and all

BumperD wrote: »

Bet365 now own the advertising rights to the FA Cup. Deposit a fiver, you can watch the match

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51028507

Right after a weekend when they had all the FA Cup matches kick off a minute later to promote mental health. You know the mental health that has ravaged many a mind after gambling losses to ordinary folk.

Not aware of this specific case but it wouldn't surprise me. I would put the responsibility back on government for failure to properly regulate.

As for the size of the UK horse race gambling market, it's possible to guesstimate it from publicly available info. If you take Paddy Power and Ladbroke annual reports, they will usually quote their market share and give a decent breakdown of sales and from the various categories.

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I can confirm this is categorically 100 per cent true.

I'm reminded of the story of the well known trainer of a Grand National winning favourite a few years back who had been facilitated at 50/1 by a prominent bookie a couple of days before the race.

The grim irony of betting on nags is that a select number of insiders are allowed what they want while many of the poor saps lower down the food chain working off hard work and hunches are restricted often to the bare minimum.

Joe, accept my apologies, I didn’t mean it when I said you hadn’t got a clue.

Your last point is bang on the money. Look how much money is involved and how frequent racing is. At least 30+ races every day midweek in Ireland and UK and then the weekend that figure is doubled. When you look at the stories that have hit the public domain in recent years on both sides of the sea, who knows what’s going on behind closed doors.

Thud wrote: »

Supposedly PP brought the Mullins racing team out for a Christmas lunch before Christmas and were given the inside line in the runners over Christmas.

That didn’t happen anyway.

Betting firms to be banned from allowing gamblers to use credit cards


An industry-wide ban on betting firms allowing consumers to use credit cards to gamble will be enforced on April 14.

The ban, announced by the Gambling Commission on Tuesday morning, will apply to all online and offline gambling products with the exception of non-remote lotteries.

The announcement follows the review of online gambling by the industry's watchdog and the government's review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures.

10.5 million adults in Great Britain gamble online – compared to 24 million adult gamblers overall – with 800,000 consumers using a UK-issued credit card to gamble online in 2018 according to financial institution UK Finance.

Neil McArthur, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “Credit card gambling can lead to significant financial harm. The ban that we have announced today should minimise the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have.

“We know that there are examples of consumers who have accumulated tens of thousands of pounds of debt through gambling because of credit card availability.

"There is also evidence that the fees charged by credit cards can exacerbate the situation because the consumer can try to chase losses to a greater extent.”

McArthur added: “We realise this change will inconvenience those consumers who use credit cards responsibly but we're satisfied reducing the risk of harm to other consumers means that action must be taken. But we will evaluate the ban and watch closely for any unintended circumstances for consumers.

“The ban is part of our ongoing work to reduce gambling harm. We also need to continue the work we've been doing with gambling operators and the finance industry to ensure consumers only gamble with money they can afford to spend.”

Research undertaken by the Gambling Commission revealed 22 per cent of online gamblers using credit cards are classed as problem gamblers.

Helen Whately, culture minister, said: "While millions gamble responsibly, I've also met people whose lives have been turned upside down by gambling addiction.

“There is clear evidence of harm from consumers betting with money they do not have, so it's absolutely right that we act decisively to protect them.

"We will be carrying out a review of the Gambling Act to ensure it is fit for the digital age and we will be launching a new nationwide addiction strategy in 2020.

“We will not hesitate to take any further action necessary to protect people from gambling harm.”

The Gambling Commission's crackdown on credit card use by consumers was welcomed by GambleAware, a charity committed to minimising gambling-related harm.

Marc Etches, CEO of GambleAware, said: "It's essential every effort is made to protect those who may be at risk of experiencing gambling harm, so we welcome the decision by the Gambling Commission to extend the ban on using credit cards for online gambling, as well as offline.

"Gambling is a public health issue and mobile technology gives people access to gambling anytime, anywhere. Anyone who chooses to gamble should be able to do so in a safe environment, where the risks and available support options are made crystal clear.”

The Gambling Commission also announced changes to licence conditions with all online gambling operators required to participate in the GAMSTOP scheme and offer their customers the service from March 31.

This requirement means consumers will be able to self-exclude from more than 200 online operators through a request to GAMSTOP – a service used by more than 118,000 people since 2018.