This is such a polarising topic for so many in the industry and I will have pretty different views to many. They are just my views though. One thing about doing these tweets is that I am not beholden to anyone but myself. I have no paymasters to answer to. The only conflict of interest I have is my ability to stay in this game and whether AC will hinder that. I just find it so disappointing that it takes the threat of ACs and what that potentially entails for some of the bigger names in the industry to get involved.
So many people have sat back over the last twenty years and have happily taken their money at the expense of the losing and vulnerable punter. The ACs are just a culmination of absolutely abhorrent behaviour by the bookmakers over that timeframe.
People have to understand that everything bookmakers have done in that time has been designed to alleviate the customer of as much money as possible. They have not cared who that customer is or the situation they find themselves in. They just want every single penny.
The regulators have been absolutely pathetic and have played a huge part in where we are now. They suddenly realised that the tide was far too one sided towards the bookmaker and away from the customer. We then ended up with the fluff of responsible gambling,
Never has there been a more disingenuous campaign in any industry. The bookmakers had to pander to some of the requests as a more preferable solution to the actual reform needed in the industry. The response from the bookmakers….
Let’s restrict even more accounts/anything remotely savvy. In essence only losers are welcome. As a general rule in life I believe that free markets should exist and people should be able to spend their money on what they want. However, this feels a bit different.
The problem with the betting industry is that things are so tilted in favour of the bookmakers, that the average person has no chance to succeed. It is just a question of how much they will lose. If you have the temerity to win or even just place non muggish bets you are restricted/closed.
When the dice are loaded so heavily against the punter, radical action has to be taken. I have told the story before involving Corals where I was allowed to lose over £200k on the account. I clawed that back and when it was up £10k they closed the account.
That is the type of behaviour I am talking about. The bookmakers have had the ability to monitor & analyse accounts for many years with systematic data harvesting (mostly illegal fwiw). They had the chance to use this data constructively but have never chosen to do so.
Are affordability checks the answer? Clearly not in their current guise. It really depends on whether people are serious about tackling problem gambling or whether it will be another fluff piece to appease the bookmakers. Those who know me, will know I was always an advocate of banning FOBTs, banning the use of credit cards for gambling and many other ridiculous practices. If people are serious then ban online casinos/slots. They offer absolutely nothing to an intelligent society apart from the transfer of wealth from customer to bookmaker.
Sometimes people do need saving from themselves and online casinos/slots is one such situation. Let’s then insist bookmakers actually behave like bookmakers. If you are offering a price it should make no difference who is looking to take that price. Dont discriminate.
A minimum liability law for each customer would seem a decent starting point. i.e. bookmakers have to lay certain bets to a certain amount to anyone who wants them. If the bookmaker is not happy with that, then don’t offer that price.
We have to give customers the chance to win as well as lose. With regard to losses they should not be at the ridiculous levels mooted but what people also shouldn’t be able to do is lose everything they have in one crazy night. Deposit limits resolve a lot of those issues.
If people want to blow most of their money on something like gambling that’s on them. Let them have a chance of winning as well though. And limit the downside just a little bit. Or let it take that little bit longer. It’s the right thing for a civilised society to do.
ProPunting 