CRIME, BANKRUPTCY, SUICIDE: COMING TO A DOME NEAR YOU. The sentiments are familiar and once again it is casinos taking the blame. The startling headline came from London’s Evening Standard and of course is a rallying cry against the possible siting of Britain’s first mega casino at the Greenwich Dome location. The newspaper has made its claim of social decay on the grounds of a PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by Greenwich Council that suggests that problem gambling will increase with increased availability.

Possibly a statement of the obvious and no one can deny that gambling addiction can lead to crime, bankruptcy and suicide on rare occasions. At present UK casinos only attract around 5% of adults, but this number is expected to double under the new legislation. Many in Britain are ardent gamblers, and bookmakers with their FOBTs and the wide range of Internet betting services are arguably more likely to increase problem gambling than the well-regulated environs of a casino, however large. ‘Supercasino could spell disaster for residents’ makes a more eye-catching headline than ‘Supercasino could bring rewards’ – what it can and actually will do won’t be known for some years.

There is a curious anomaly in a gambling law written to protect the young and the vulnerable that happily allows children to play slot machines in unlicensed arcades, merely because prizes are limited to £5. A recent study in Glasgow highlighted the damage these arcades can cause to young people. There is little outcry from the press over this, or over those as young as 16 being able to spend as much as they like on lotteries. It is probably the greatest marketing tool ever: advertising the lottery as betting in aid of a good cause. The advent of the National Lottery in Britain contributed greatly to gambling being seen as a socially acceptable activity.

Some people will doubtless gamble foolishly at casinos and bookmakers, on lotteries and online, but then some people smoke foolishly, drink foolishly and over-eat foolishly. Gambling is not the cause of an addiction; it is a symptom of a personality disorder. There will, and should be, stringent controls at casinos to identify and help anyone getting into difficulties over gambling. Studies, including an extensive one undertaken in New Zealand, have shown that most problem gamblers revert into sensible gamblers without outside help. There is a marked distinction between problem gamblers and that rarer breed, the addicted gambler.

Casinos can and do have a favourable impact on areas in need of regeneration. People can and do enjoy gambling and the other forms of entertainment that large-scale casino developments bring with them. The verdict on Britain’s first regional casino will be some time coming and it is impossible to predict the outcome or the increase in problem gamblers with any accuracy. When that first mega casino opens its doors it could attract every problem gambler from Britain’s betting shops and lure all online problem gamblers. The statistics would then prove the point for all the anti-gambling lobbyists, but then statistics can prove anything. (E-10.13.06)

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