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A nation of gamblers?

The British government claims that the Gambling Bill is aimed at ‘modernising’ gambling. However, experts have warned that easing of the current restrictions in the country will further exacerbate what is known as ‘problem gambling’. Problem gamblers are the gambling world’s ‘addicts.’ Some 350,000 Britons are already classified as ‘problem gamblers’. And if the current curbs are relaxed, adolescents and young people will be most affected. Current figures are alarming enough. The number of young people addicted to gambling is about twice the number of adult gamblers. If the Blair government goes ahead with the bill, this number will see a phenomenal increase.

Over the past three years, there has been a five-fold increase in betting in Britain, with turnover rising from £7.6 billion in 2001 to a record £39.4 billion in the 12 months to September. Gambling in all forms amounted to £63.8 billion. Six out of ten adults now stake an average of £50 every month, including on the National Lottery. These figures are alarming, to say the least. Britain may very well be on its way to beat Las Vegas at its own game.

All this is very perplexing because the stiff-upper-lip British has always been known for their reserve, caution and restraint in every sphere of their life. It is not easy to accept the restrained British as a nation of reckless gamblers.

But then the times are changing. If the cautious islanders have changed with the rest of the world, you cannot blame them. The freedom of cyberspace, as in every other modern sphere of activity, has liberated the uncertain world of gambling too. Most forms of gambling now take place in the anonymity of cyberspace. Gambling may be a matter of individual choice in our liberated times. But when the choice turns into a compulsion, the state has no choice but to intervene.