A charity organisation focused on working with gambling addicts has called on some of the largest gambling companies to immediately roll out mandatory maximum deport and spending limits on their websites until the coronavirus lockdown is on.
The charity, called Problem Gambling Ireland, has addressed the chief executive officers of Ladbrokes, Paddy Power Betfair, BoyleSports and other gambling operators and urged them to take proactive measures over fears that online gambling could continue rising in popularity at a time when brick-and-mortar betting outlets are shut due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The founder and chief executive officer of Problem Gambling Ireland, Barry Grant, explained that vulnerable people are currently getting more oriented to online casino, slots and virtual sports at a time when live sports are not only limited but literally absent. He also reminded that a few European countries, including Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Latvia and Lithuania, have already imposed restrictions on their gambling sectors, in terms of online gambling and/or online gambling advertising.
In Latvia, the entire online gambling sector has been suspended until further notice as part of the country’s emergency coronavirus bill. About a week ago, on April 21st, the culture minister of the UK also urged the CEOs of the five biggest gambling companies in the country to take additional measures to protect local players. In the last few weeks, GAMSTOP, the self-exclusion service available in the UK, has seen a massive increase in the number of people seeking to stay away from gambling since the beginning of the lockdown.
Online Gambling Is Rising in Popularity during Coronavirus Outbreak
There is a mandatory deposit limits system that is already applied to the online platform of the Irish National Lottery.
The CEO of Problem Gambling Ireland has explained that online gambling has become more addictive than traditional gambling, as physical betting shops are closed at night, so customers are forced to stop playing, while online gambling provides them with the opportunity to play literally 24/7.
As explained by Mr Grant, online betting sites have come up with various alternatives at a time when there are no sports for players to bet on. He shared there are gambling websites offering nine different virtual sporting events that are taking place every two minutes, all day long.
Mr Grant further noted that it was long before the coronavirus outbreak when people started to get in trouble with online gambling, with the greatest danger about them being the frequency. He explained that the time windows in which players could reflect on their actions and maybe even make a decision to stop hardly exist with the online gambling services. The games could be over in seconds, especially if a game offers a turbo setting that allows players to speed it up.
- Author
Daniel Williams
