Gambling Bill 'threatens children'
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Your support makes all the difference.One of Britain's leading experts on the psychology of gambling has criticised the Government for failing to close a loophole in the law that allows children to gamble on slot machines.
Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University said that children could easily get addicted to the sort of slot machines that will still be allowed in leisure centres and amusement arcades under the new Gambling Bill.
"All slot machines regardless of type are potentially addictive," Professor Griffiths told the Science Festival. "The new legislation is still going to allow low stake, low jackpot machines to be available in seaside arcades and leisure centres... These are still as addictive as those with big stakes," he said.
He estimated that about 2 per cent of adolescents are addicted to gambling. The new Bill, which is expected to become law by the end of the year, would also increase the number of adult gamblers with serious addiction problems, estimated at about 325,000 people, he said.
"The Government doesn't really believe that adolescent gambling is a problem," he told the conference. "We're going to have more opportunities and access to gamble than we've ever seen before.
"What you find everywhere in the world is that where you increase access and opportunity to gamble, not only do you increase the number of regular gamblers, you also increase the number of problem gamblers. There will be an increase in the number of problem gamblers as a result of the Gambling Bill going through," he said.
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