London, May 9 (ANI): The betting shops of the 1960s when the concept was legalised in the UK have given way to technically advanced betting machines, with a younger group making up the new class of punters.
Today's betting shops are virtually unrecognisable compared to the betting offices legalised by the 1961 Betting and Gaming Act.
"Under the Act, the newly licensed betting offices were required not to encourage loitering," said Gerda Reith, researcher Professor of Glasgow University.
"Today's attractive, comfortable premises are a world apart from that. In particular, their touch-screen Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) that allow players to bet on the outcome of various games and events are encouraging new types of customers and new styles of play," he added.
While earlier, older working-class males used to make up the majority of punters, the new betting machines are attracting first-time gamblers, particularly young males and ethnic minority groups.
"A proportion of older gamblers are also attracted to FOBTs, a change from their traditional bets," Reith points out.
However, Reith cautions that betting machines are particularly risky in terms of problem gambling because of the enormous speed with which they take the gamblers' money.
"Compared with some forms of gambling such as horse races or even casino table games, betting machine games are extremely quick, the stakes are high and the losses can very quickly become higher," he said. (ANI)
|
|
Read More: Gerda
Comments:
