This set of clippings from the BBC are intended to stimulate discusions within the racing industry around the question of problem gambling, and to encourage a search for an industry solution to the question.
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Problem Gambling- The Challenge of The Racing Industry Is it possible to grow the racing industry without at the same time growing the number of problem gamblers? Is it possible for the racing industry as it is now to find effective ways in reducing the number of problem gamblers and to help these individuals to live normal and healthy lives? While it is true that problem gambling is not unique to the racing industry, and that problem gamblers will appear nearly everywhere that gaming or wagering occurs, the racing industry is not any other industry. The racing industry has played an important and valuable role in shaping modern Jamaica and Jamaicans of all generations have been attracted to the sports of racing at one time or another, be it in the days of Legal Light or by the now Bruceontheloose , the sport of racing has appealed nearly to all. Today, the racing industry and the much wider equine industry, is trying to find their proper places in helping and facilitating economic and social recovery. An integral part of this mandate and a social responsibility to all punters, their families and friends, is the finding of ways to effectively grapple with the question of problem gambling. In bars, problem drinkers are a burden and nuisance to all other drinkers, equally so problem gamblers are nearly pestilence in the skin of ordinary punters, a problem to themselves, their families and friends. The racing industry unlike any other industry is one that was built and is based on families, be it generations of jockeys from the same family, generations of trainers from the same family, generations of owners from the same families or generations of punters from the same families and it is from this perspective problem
Transcript
Problem Gambling- The Challenge of The Racing Industry
Is it possible to grow the racing industry without at the same time growing the number of problem gamblers? Is it possible for the racing industry as it is now to find effective ways in reducing the number of problem gamblers and to help these individuals to live normal and healthy lives?
While it is true that problem gambling is not unique to the racing industry, and that problem gamblers will appear nearly everywhere that gaming or wagering occurs, the racing industry is not any other industry. The racing industry has played an important and valuable role in shaping modern Jamaica and Jamaicans of all generations have been attracted to the sports of racing at one time or another, be it in the days of Legal Light or by the now Bruceontheloose , the sport of racing has appealed nearly to all.
Today, the racing industry and the much wider equine industry, is trying to find their proper places in helping and facilitating economic and social recovery. An integral part of this mandate and a social responsibility to all punters, their families and friends, is the finding of ways to effectively grapple with the question of problem gambling. In bars, problem drinkers are a burden and nuisance to all other drinkers, equally so problem gamblers are nearly pestilence in the skin of ordinary punters, a problem to themselves, their families and friends. The racing industry unlike any other industry is one that was built and is based on families, be it generations of jockeys from the same family, generations of trainers from the same family, generations of owners from the same families or generations of punters from the same families and it is from this perspective problem gambling is a problem of the racing family. We all know a problem gambler.
The Jamaica Racing Commission through its Welfare Department tries to assist to the best of its ability those who it can, the question the industry has to ask itself, is if tt is not now time for a wider industry partnership to tackle this question.. Or do we await the bombardment and persistent harassment by the Church and others before the issue is addressed?
The clippings from BBC attached below are intended to stimulate a wider discussion on issue, with the hope that an industry approach can be formulated and pursued.
Basil Fletcher
Contents
Pioneering clinic for gambling addicts........................................................................2Brain injury linked to gambling...................................................................................5'Surprise' over gambling figures..................................................................................7Key points: Gambling report.....................................................................................10Australia in thrall of gambling mania........................................................................12
Pioneering clinic for gambling addicts By Adam Brimelow Health Correspondent, BBC News
In the heart of London's Soho district, nestled among the cafes and clubs, restaurants and pubs, there is a new NHS service.
Set up for a one-year trial on the fourth floor of a walk-in centre, it's the first NHS clinic for gambling addicts.
Supporters say this initiative is long overdue.
Rob, a 50-year-old recovering addict helped by Gamblers Anonymous, said: "Any form of therapy or clinic - especially for young people - could save lives, or even give them a quality of life."
For Rob, his path to gambling all started as a boy in Belfast, with errands to the bookies for his brothers.
Then there were roulette machines, pitch and toss in the street, cards and visits to the greyhounds four or five times a week.
'Illness of want'
"It progressed in a way that anything I had, I had to gamble. And I actually stole things in order to fuel my gambling. I'm not proud of that but that's the way it was."
Rob says through gambling he became "embedded in his own hell".
He was unable to communicate, to have relationships, or to do his work because of his consuming obsession.
He said: "It's the illness of want. I want it and I want it now. Gambling paints a pretty picture like a holiday in the Bahamas whereby you can have these things.
"It's like a pied piper coercing you in. And that appeals to young people."
For years Rob was fixated with winning back his losses. He thought he had a financial problem, not an illness. But, through his involvement with Gamblers Anonymous, he developed a better understanding of his condition.
The lead consultant psychiatrist at the new NHS gambling clinic, Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, said that across society perceptions of gambling are changing.
She said: "People are beginning to realise that it's a serious illness that can cause people to become suicidal, that can lead people to lose their homes, to lose the relationships they most care about, and in many cases leads people who are extremely moral people to commit illegal acts to fund their addiction."
'Training colleagues'
The clinic helps people with extreme gambling problems, who may be referred on by counselling services or their GP, or they may refer themselves.
There's an initial hour-and-a-half psychiatric assessment with Dr Bowden-Jones.
Then there are 12 weeks of one-to-one cognitive behavioural therapy, another 12 weeks of group therapy, plus help for depression and anxiety, support for families and advice on managing debts.
It's thought there are about 300,000 problem gamblers across the UK. Dr Bowden-Jones hopes this clinic is just the start of a much wider service.
"My dream in the future would be to have other NHS centres set up throughout the country. And I've been training colleagues, psychiatrists in the subject, in the hope that people will be interested and want to pick it up."
This is something the British Medical Association also wants to see. Last year it published a report spelling out the health risks of gambling addiction, warning of the particular threat to young people from fruit machines and online gambling.
The BMA's head of science and ethics, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, said the gambling industry should do much more to pay for the harm caused by addiction.
Compulsory levy?
"I think it's an interesting question whether the NHS should pay for it and we certainly believe that the levy on the gambling industry which is there to fund good causes, including education about gambling addiction, should be producing more money, and that that money should support many of these clinics."
The gaming industry supports problem gamblers through voluntary donations to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust.
It has helped to fund the new clinic in Soho, and also supports gambling research and education.
It has agreed a target this year of £4.5m with the industry, but donations look set to fall well short.
The government is looking at whether to make the levy compulsory. The trust's director, Malcolm Bruce, said this was no idle threat.
He said: "We're not confident of reaching our target, but it's still in the gift of the gambling industry to put that money forward.
"Otherwise there will be a levy on the gambling industry and they will be forced to pay for this whole area. And that would be really unfortunate because some excellent progress has been made over the past seven or eight years in this area."
The clinic in Soho has already seen patients from all over England. If it proves successful, pressure will grow on the NHS to set up similar clinics across the country, and that will prompt further questions about who foots the bill.
People wanting to refer themselves can contact the clinic at [email protected]
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7753240.stm
Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money.
The study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at two patients who had damaged their amygdala, deep within the brain.
These patients were less worried about financial losses than the normal volunteers they were compared with.
The scientists say this could translate to how people make decisions in fields ranging from politics to game shows.
'Loss aversion' describes the avoidance of choices which can lead to losses, even when accompanied by equal or much larger gains.
Game behaviour
Lead author, Dr Benedetto De Martino, explains: "Imagine you're on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
“ This is a novel and exciting study. ” John Aggleton, Professor of Psychology at Cardiff University
"You've just answered the £500,000 question correctly and have moved on to the final question.
"You're down to your 50:50 lifeline but don't know the answer.
"If you get it right, you'll win £1 million; if you get it wrong, you'll drop back to £32,000.
"The vast majority of people would take the 'loss averse option' and walk away with £500,000."
This study, carried out by scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), set out to find out if the amygdala plays a role in causing loss aversion.
It looked at two women who had a rare condition which produced lesions on their amygdalae but no other brain damage.
The lesions prevented them from perceiving, recognising or feeling fear.
The two women were each matched with six control volunteers who had similar age, income and education.
Gambles
The participants were offered a series of gambles to test whether the chance of losing money affected their willingness to gamble.
“ It may be that the amygdala controls a very general biological mechanism for inhibiting risky behaviour when outcomes are potentially negative ” Dr Benedetto De Martino, University College, London
The study found that healthy volunteers would only opt to gamble if the potential gains were one and a half to two times the size of the potential losses.
But the patients whose amygdalae were damaged would play even if there was a much poorer ratio between gains and losses, and one sometimes played even if the potential loss was greater than the potential gain.
The authors say that a fully functioning amygdala appears to make people more cautious, and afraid of losing money.
"It may be that the amygdala controls a very general biological mechanism for inhibiting risky behaviour when outcomes are potentially negative, such as the monetary loss aversion which shapes our everyday financial decisions," said Dr Benedetto De Martino, who is currently a visiting researcher at University College, London.
He pointed out that loss aversion has been shown in many settings including high stakes game show decisions, financial markets, politics, and also in monkey behaviour.
It probably derives from "a basic evolutionary defence mechanism", he said.
He added that it was helpful to understand its basic biological mechanisms so that policymakers could design policies to address it.
'Elegant experiment'
John Aggleton, Professor of Psychology at Cardiff University, said:
"This is a novel and exciting study. The authors conducted a very elegant and neat experiment.
"The amygdala is an area of the brain that is important for normal emotional responses and for how we perceive our environment.
"It plays a subtle role in helping people to learn the attributes of good things and bad things.
"Most people have been found to have a bias against losses, but this study shows very clearly that when the amygdala is damaged, this "loss aversion" disappears."
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8504605.stm
'Surprise' over gambling figures The internet and other new forms of gambling have not led to an increase in people having a flutter since 1999, a Gambling Commission study has found.
In fact, due to a drop in the National Lottery sales, the numbers of people gambling fell from 72% in 1999 to 68%.
Commission chairman Peter Dean said more than 99% of adults who gambled did so harmlessly but there were still 250,000 "problem gamblers" in Britain.
Gordon Brown's spokesman said problem gambling had to be tackled.
The Gambling Prevalence Study questioned 9,003 people between September 2006 and March 2007 about 17 types of gambling - from scratch cards to casinos.
'No increase'
It looked at attitudes, the popularity of different types of gambling and the prevalence of problem gambling and followed a similar study in 1999.
Mr Dean said they had been expecting an increase in the number of gamblers, and the amount of problem gambling.
"It was something of a surprise, and a relief too," he told the BBC.
WHO GAMBLES ON WHAT National Lottery draw - 57% Scratch cards - 20% Horse races - 17% Slot machines - 14% Other lottery tickets - 12% Private betting - 10%
"There have been more forms of gambling available in the intervening years - fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) in betting shops, online gambling and so forth and the overall figures for online gambling are not up.
"There are a significant number of people who do gamble online, we've been tracking those, but as I say the overall result is there is no increase at all in problem gambling since the last survey."
The National Lottery remained the most popular form of gambling, but the amount of people taking part had dropped from 65% in 1999 to 57% in 2007, the survey suggests.
Betting terminals
Participation in all other types of gambling, excluding the lottery, had risen from 46% in 1999 to 48%.
Only 6% of those questioned had used the internet to gamble in the previous year, 3% had used fixed odds betting terminals and 4% gambled in a casino.
Problem gambling, measured using two systems, remained at the same level as in 1999 - 0.6% - equivalent to about 250,000 people.
HAVE YOUR SAY “ I don't know what the big deal about gambling is really. Nearly everyone has vices, it might be smoking, drinking, gambling or whatever ” Adrian Mugridge, Chester
This is higher than in Norway, but similar to Canada and New Zealand and lower than Australia and the US.
Professor Peter Collins, director of the Centre for the Study of Gambling, said he would like to see the number of problem gamblers being "a good deal lower", but said measuring them was an "inexact science".
"There are very severe problem gamblers whose tragic situation is quite as grave as any other addiction, but there are people with much less serious problems," he said.
Gambling Act
But the Conservatives said one in seven people who took part in "spread betting" were considered problem gamblers and argue new forms of gambling are creating more addicts - yet are most likely to be promoted on TV, under the Gambling Act.
Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This report is two years too late. All the gambling legislation has now passed through Parliament with little prospect of serious amendment.
PROBLEM GAMBLING PREVALENCE Spread betting - 14.7% FOBT - 11.2% Betting exchanges - 9.8% Online gambling - 7.4% Online betting - 6.0% Dog racing - 5.2% Casino table games - 5.2% Bets with bookmakers - 3.9% Football pools - 3.5% Bingo - 3.1%
"The horse has well and truly bolted from the gambling stables."
The report will be used to measure the effects of the new Gambling Act, which came into force on 1 September, and brought casinos, bookmakers and online betting under one regulatory body.
It also made it easier to advertise casinos and online gambling sites on the television.
'No complacency'
The government said the report's findings were not "grounds for complacency" and it remained focused on protecting children and vulnerable people.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said a review will be carried out into the funding of gambling research, treatment and public education - currently supported on a voluntary basis by the gambling industry.
“ While the report shows that problem gambling still only affects a small minority of people, it does remain a serious issue ” Prime minister's spokesman
In July Mr Brown said the government's plan to use super-casinos to regenerate run-down areas would be reviewed, amid fears it could make gambling addiction worse.
On Wednesday his spokesman said: "While the report shows that problem gambling still only affects a small minority of people, it does remain a serious issue and something that has to be addressed.
"The prime minister said in July that the issue relating to a super-casino is whether or not this is the best way of meeting our regeneration objectives.
"He is obviously sceptical about that."
That review is due to be published later this autumn and the spokesman said the Gambling Commission's report would be an "important consideration".
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7001329.stm
Key points: Gambling report The Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007, the first major study of attitudes to and prevalence of gambling in the UK since 1999, surveyed 9,003 people between September 2006 and March 2007.
Here are some of the key findings:
HEADLINES:
There are about 250,000 "problem gamblers" in the UK - but the numbers have
remained steady since the last survey in 1999. When people whose sole form of gambling is playing the National Lottery are
included, the amount of people gambling has dropped from 72% to 68%. When they are excluded, participation in gambling in the past year had risen from
46% to 48% - which, if translated across the UK - would amount to about an extra 1m people.
The types of gambling with the most "problem gamblers" are the newest forms of gambling, such as spread betting, fixed odds betting terminals, betting exchanges and online gambling.
PARTICIPATION IN GAMBLING:
68% of the adult population took part in some form of gambling in the past year The most popular form was the National Lottery draw - 57% of people
interviewed had taken part Participation in the football pools dropped from 9% in 1999 to 3% in 2007 Numbers of people doing the National Lottery and buying scratch cards also
dropped Overall 6% of people questioned used the internet to gamble online. Men are more likely to gamble than women - 71% compared to 65%
PROBLEM GAMBLING:
Rates of problem gambling were 0.6% and 0.5% of the gambling population according to two different measures used
But excluding those who only did the National Lottery, between 1.2% and 1.3% of people who had gambled in the past year were estimated to be problem gamblers
Problem gamblers are most likely to be male, single, in poor health and have a parent with a gambling problem
Problem gambling is also "significantly associated" with being black or Asian, separated or divorced, having fewer educational qualifications and being under 55 years old
Spread betting had the highest number of problem gamblers - 14.7%, followed by fixed odds betting terminals (11.2%) and betting exchanges (9.8%)
Problem gambling in Britain appears to be worse than in Norway, similar to that in Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland and lower than that in the US, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong
ATTITUDES TO GAMBLING:
Attitudes towards gambling are more negative than positive The average view was that gambling was more harmful than beneficial and should
not be encouraged But the average person did not think there should be a ban on gambling The under 35s, heavy drinkers and problem gamblers were most likely to be in
favour of gambling The over 55s, widows and widowers, people describing themselves as Asian or
Asian British and people who had a problem gambler in the family were most opposed to gambling
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7002542.stm
Australia in thrall of gambling mania Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney
It is the world record of which Australia is least proud: More than 80% of its adult population gambles, the highest rate on the planet.
From the Melbourne Cup - the horse race that stops the nation - to "pokie" machines in the pubs, clubs and branches of the Returned and Services Leagues and the bookmakers (or the TAB as it is known here) and in bars - it is everywhere.
As one reformed gambler put it to me, Australians would even place a bet on two flies climbing up a wall.
For many, the jingles and electronic clatter of the "pokies" have become just as quintessentially Australian sounds as the call of a kookaburra.
Growth industry
Since the mid-1990s, mega-casinos have also occupied a much more conspicuous and commanding spot on Australia's gambling landscape.
Star City in Sydney is a gambling complex reputedly the size of seven football fields.
“ You think Las Vegas has got poker machines? New South Wales blows it out of the water... It's crazy, it's insanity ”
Tom Simpson Reformed gambling addict
Then there is the Conrad Treasury Casino in Brisbane, which occupies a Monte Carlo-style heritage building.
The biggest is probably the massive Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne, one of the world's largest, which claims to attract more than 12 million visitors a year.
The opening of these casinos helps explain another of Australia's dubious records: How a country with the 53rd largest population has the most gaming machines.
This staggeringly, is a fifth of the world's supply.
Over the past decade, the legalisation of gaming machines and the increase in the number of casinos has contributed to a dramatic increase in the amount spent on gambling.
Since 1990-91, real per capita expenditure has increased from $A470.60 (US$360) to $A931.64 in 1999-2000. The figure now is likely to be much higher.
One more recent study, published in October last year, suggested that Australians spend more money on gambling ($A17.52 each week) than they do on alcohol ($A10.99) and petrol ($A15.27), and almost as much as they do on clothes ($A18.67).
It is now estimated that more than 2% of the population have a significant gambling problem.
Social cost?
"I tell people sometimes I slept with the devil," says Mark Henson, who lost his job, his home, and came close to ending up in jail in order to feed his habit.
"I did things I never thought I would stoop down to do. In the end, I just had to gamble to get the money to do it. I was no different from a heroine user or alcoholic."
"I would lie and manipulate and even fool myself. I was in that much denial. If I earned $A500 a week, I gambled $A1500."
After 12 years of what he calls "reckless gambling," and four years of recovery, Mark now helps others try to kick their gambling addiction.
Tom Simpson is another reformed addict.
What angers him now is that the governments - state and national - have allowed the gambling problem to mushroom because of their own "addiction".
This is a craving for the tax revenue which the gaming machines and casinos bring in.
State cashes in
In 1973, Australia's first legal casino opened at Wrest Point Hotel in Hobart, Tasmania.
From then until 1998, state government proceeds from gaming increased 20-fold from $200m to $3.8bn.
An average of 12% of state and territory revenue comes from gambling.
The federal government also cashes in, through Australia's equivalent of VAT.
"There's 99,723 poker machines in the state of New South Wales, more per capita than anywhere else on planet earth," Tom Simpson argues.
"You think Las Vegas has got poker machines? New South Wales blows it out of the water, and in the next couple of months they are actually introducing more pokie machines."
"It's crazy it's insanity. But once again it's creating revenue. How do you stop it? I'm not sure," he says.
Asked about the opening of a new generation of casinos in Britain, he has a simple message - Beware!.
Australia offers a glimpse of the future waiting the UK, he claims.
It is worth remembering, of course, that the vast majority of Australian gamblers do so responsibly.
The casino and club owners also try to promote sensible gambling, with leaflets and handouts explaining the small probability of winning.
There are statutory warning signs on the machines themselves and along with showing digital clocks so that people know how long they have been playing.
The government has also proposed a ban on interactive and internet gambling, likely to come into effect later in the year.
But it's too late to reverse the trend, according to Mark Henson.
"They've created a monster," he says. "And now they can't control it."
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6313083.stm
