Bookies on the high street are out of control - PLEASE HELP

Up and down the UK in our towns and cities we are seeing a proliferation of Bookies on the high street. Under current planning laws bookies can move into vacant premises without planning consent and in the current economic environment as other businesses are going bust or reducing outlets to cut costs the bookies simply move in.

This is Depford High St, where we can see William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Paddy Power within a few steps of each other.

 

Regardless of whether you are pro/anti gambling is this what you envisage for our high streets up and down the country?

For more information and to sign the petition to hand back power to councils and local people to say no to more bookies on the high street click here:

So why do the bookies see the demand for opening more and more outlets? And why are bookies open from 7.30am to 10pm far outside of times when horse racing, dogs, and football events are taking place?

Welcome to the world of FOBTs (Fixed Odds Betting Terminals). They offer games such as bingo and roulette to customers who don’t need to talk to a soul to play. With a maximum spin of £100 and the ability to press ‘repeat bet’ every 20 seconds, it’s not surprising that Ladbrokes took £10.5 billion from them last year alone. 

Limited to 4 FOBTs per shop the best way for the bookies to increase revenue and get around regulation is simply to keep opening new shops. Experts describe FOBTs as the ‘crack cocaine of gambling’. 

Help to keep problem gambling out of the gambling industry and sign the petition here to stop more bookies from popping up on the high street often in the poorest parts of the country and taking money from people who can't afford to lose it. 

I personally have lost many tens of thousands of pounds in these machines which I could not afford to lose, losing my home, job and bringing havoc to my family, friends and anyone around me in the process.

At 40 years of age my gambling problem has led me on a journey to destination: loneliness and depression.

At 40 years of age my gambling problem has led me on a journey to destination: loneliness and depression.

  

I started gambling from the age of 11; I would travel 15km (each way) every day by train to the seaside town of Southport where I would go to the amusement arcades after school instead of socialising with other kids or doing homework.  As a result other kids would be hanging out together and learning social skills and I had only a few friends who had the same interests as me. (Mainly gambling)

From the age of 13 I went to a school nearer home and I had to find other ways to gamble, hence I took up train spotting as a hobby. This enabled me to have an excuse for travelling to Southport (to go to the amusement arcades) and also to hang around train stations where they had unattended fruit machines in the buffet where I could gamble. Through this time I had three good friends but didn’t socialise outside of this group. As a result I would miss out on many opportunities to have fun with other kids and to acquire social skills. I would lose touch with the three friends I had in the next stage of my life.

My late teens were quite a traumatic period of my life, my parents were by now well aware of my gambling problem and unable to cope with me, I was thrown out of home at the age of 17 and didn’t speak with my parents or two of my brothers/sisters for over six years.  I was meeting a third brother in secret and against my parent’s wishes. From this time I find it hard to find joy in shared times of celebration (Christmas, Birthdays etc.). For me every-day is the same, and we can always find time for loved ones and to come together as a family without needing the excuse of a special day.

I had a cousin of my fathers’ (now sadly deceased) and whom my son is named after who provided me with love and support that knew no limits. Whatever I did and however bad I behaved Sam and Elsie (wife) always loved me, fed me, gave me a roof, cheered me up, encouraged me, and tried to support me.  Sam was a doctor and that was their approach to life in general; to help others in need. Both Sam and Elsie were very active and much loved in their community.

From my early twenties I knew I had a gambling problem but at different times was either unable or unwilling to deal with the addiction. I hid my problem gambling from others and certainly didn’t talk about it. So nobody would have known the full extent and the amount of money I was spending, the debts I was accruing, & other things I was doing to fund my habit. For the most part I was largely unwilling to talk about it, and was frankly too messed up at this stage in my life to be able to make sense of it all. I was also moving around the country a lot, and I would rather ditch friends and find new people then let friends find about my gambling problem.  

I made two friends, Terry and Carl who I met around the age of 20 who I remain friends with to this day. My gambling problem has undoubtedly been a negative influence in their lives but both have stuck with me on this journey and shown me incredible love and support over the years. 

Into my late twenties/early thirties I started to make some changes in my life, one being that I took a job and started contributing to society!  With the job came friends but I was leading a double life with the problem gambling and associated mental health difficulties and I was a character that was either loved or hated. Despite being perceived as very self-confident I had a burning insecurity complex fuelled by the gambling problem and I needed to feel accepted. This would display itself in bouts of over confidence, showing off, or  big stories at the one extreme or by depression, sleeping, eating at the other extreme, and most people did not know the real me.  In the end my experience was that people only put up with so much that they cannot understand and I have ended up pushing a lot of people away from me throughout my life.

Into my mid-thirties I changed a lot to try and start afresh including moving abroad and settling in Slovakia with my wife. Unfortunately the gambling problem did not stay behind and about 7 months into my new job in my new life I spent about 100,000 Euros in less than a month.  I broke down and went on the run for a while in Poland away from my job, wife and gambling problems. I was searching out for some help to make sense of it all. At work nobody knew me nor about my gambling problem and I was off work for nearly four months. In this time a lot of negative comments were made about me, I never reacted to them openly but I did feel very hurt by each of them. But what could I expect; I was a complete unknown with very erratic behaviour. I had to take responsibility for my actions and return to work.

The last four years have been a hell to be honest in my recovery from gambling addiction. In particular I still have huge financial problems due to a lack of agreement with my creditors and no formal restructuring process exists for this situation in Slovakia. (such as IVA, personal bankruptcy in UK)

There is still a huge stigma attached to problem gambling and a lack of understanding of the addiction itself and its consequences to family life, friendships, work life, financial matters, and the community.

My hope is that through blogging and talking about my gambling addiction and how it has ruined my life that it will at least encourage conversation and debate about this illness and what we can do to prevent more lives from being ruined by gambling.


The below video is an excellent piece of journalism that shows where that first gambling experience as a child can lead to:


Video: The Pitch (Australian TV), 
Season 1 
Episode 5
Aired: 26.10.2011


Gruen Planet asked two advertising agencies to convince Australians not to bet on the Melbourne Cup. And they aired it in the same week as the event itself.

Problem gambling & the impact on friends

I knew Tony for several years before it became apparent he had gambling problems. I suppose the evidence surfaced as we became closer friends and we spent more time together.

We both had long time partners and lived in the UK, approximately 40 miles away so quite a drive away, by English standards.

I enjoyed Tony’s company because of his naturally buoyant, outgoing personality. He was always very gregarious and a good asset to be had when going out for an evening.

It was only when we were in a pub / bar with something “competitive” available that his personality could change dramatically. This could take the form of a pool table, quiz machines and in particular, fruit machines.

I quickly realised that if he was to put just £1 into a fruit machine, he had immense difficulty prising himself from that machine for the rest of the night. In fact, he had no chance he would only remove himself from it after spending all his own money, borrowing off me and other friends and spending their money before the machine was switched off by staff.

Inevitably he would then be in a dejected mood and often go for a couple of king-size donna kebabs. (edit by Tony...depression makes me hungry!)

Later I would learn of Tony’s other gambling addictions. As gambling became progressively more available via the internet, FOBT’s and smart phones, he was informing me of “systems” he was using to win at roulette. My attitude was stoic, I knew that a casinos exist and bleed people dry because no “system” can ever work. Even if you work very hard and learn how to count cards in a Vegas casino , if the owners find out they kick you out and bar you at the very least, break your legs if you try it again (just watch the film Casino).

Tony’s “system” was the classic “gamblers fallacy”. He was convinced that history at a roulette wheel would have an outcome on his spin. As if all the roulette tables in the world exerted a mysterious force on the one he was playing on. He was convinced of this or at least he pretended to be in order to justify his own playing.

Despite my protests that his system was flawed, he proudly announced to me day after day that his system was working and gave me a running tally of his profits. One day he even produced a huge wedge of £20 notes and said that was £7,000. I was astonished and even thought I might be wrong after all!!!

It wasn’t long though. Tony obviously kept playing and even if that £7,000 was real actual winnings, he lost it. And more. Much More. When I asked him if his “system” was still working, he said ashamedly that he  had lost £20,000. At this point I just felt like saying “I told you so”, but I realised he’d got a problem. So I still said “I told you so” thinking he’s been an idiot and what I said was gonna happen has just happened.

Of course after trying to convince him more, using maths, using analogies with alcoholism (which I can from personal experience draw a lot of parallels with gambling addiction) and with feedback from friends.

I think casinos / gambling sites / bookies prey on the compulsive gamblers amongst us, that’s where they probably make most of their money. I think more rules should be brought in to regulate the industry – I suggest a US style block on Casino websites that are almost exclusively use credit cards in order for you to play.

Basically the whole industry sickens me and like all vices, those who peddle it will always justify it by saying that “the majority use it responsibly”. What they fail to say is they couldn’t give a f**k about their most precious customers whose lives they ruin.

Mark Williams

Depression, moods & gambling

Today I am just depressed - thats it & no particular reason

Today 12th February 2012 not feeling so depressed although I had to fight to shake it off this morning. After that went out for a walk into town and then went out with Petra and Samko for a  coffee and another walk.

Thanks for the kind words on twitter.

Have a nice day, evening all.

Tony

Today 11th February 2012 I'm depressed, there is no particular reason other than I suffer with mood swings.

I don't believe I suffer with clinical depresssion more with reactive depression being that my state of mind is driven by events and circumstances. When I gambled I suffered with rapid cycling mood fluctuations and I could be happy one minute and depressed the next driven largely by my gambling activity but not necessarily by winning or losing in itself.

Now I'm going to force myself into clothes and go out for a walk. Should feel better then later.

Have a nice day all.

Tony

Letter to Jeremy Hunt MP, Shadow Culture Secretary, 14 Nov 2008

Letter Sent (and response) to Jeremy Hunt MP for South West Surrey, Shadow Culture Secretary 14th November 2008:

-----Original Message-----
From: HUNT, Jeremy <email deleted>
To: anthonyfranklin <email deleted>
Sent: Mon, Nov 24, 2008 9:00 pm
Subject: RE: Copy of letter sent to Prime Minister, ref: Gambling and credit.

Dear Mr Franklin,

Thank you for getting in touch about problem gambling. I completely share your views about the lack of leadership this government has shown in terms of setting the right regulatory environment for gambling. Gordon Brown made the symbolic gesture of cancelling the super casino whilst at the same time liberalising the laws for gambling advertising. The result of which is that not only can online gambling companies registered abroad operate here but they are also allowed to advertise - even if they do not reach UK standards on responsible gambling.

We are currently considering ways in which we could change this to ensure that companies advertising here have to meet high standards around age verification and credit checks. We are also considering why, if in land based casinos you can't use a credit card, in online ones you can. I am hoping to make an announcement on these issues in the near future. Once again thank you for letting me see your letter to the Prime Minister.

Best wishes,

Jeremy

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeremy Hunt

Member of Parliament

South West Surrey

Tel: 020 7219 xxxx

Fax: 020 7219 xxxx

House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

Anthony Franklin

Dear Mr Hunt,

I attach a copy of a letter that I sent recently to the Prime Minister to which I have received a standard acknowledgement response.

In my opinion the government has allowed the UK to become a paradise for the casino operators particularly in its failure to effectively regulate newer forms of gambling. (mobile/online gambling) So long as key equipment is in situ off shore then the gambling operators are free to compete for the UK market but are not subject to UK gambling legislation.

I can write in great detail about the dangers of gambling to society in general, much learned from my own experience as a recovering problem gambler. However one issue stands outs more than any other, and that is the issue of credit in conjunction with gambling.

It is well known that one of the devastating consequences of problem gambling is the enormous debts that are usually run up. It seems extremely unethical to me that the banks contribute to this problem by knowingly allowing credit to be used to fund gambling transactions. (through credit cards, and debit cards linked to overdrafts)

The banks have shown a tendency to greed, well highlighted by the current global financial crisis, and have in the past mistakenly believed that treating gambling transactions as cash advances will lead to increased profits for the banks. As we now experience the fallout from irresponsible lending maybe now is a good time to tackle this issue with the banking industry.

Best Regards,


Anthony Franklin

Credit and Gambling - Lets put a stop to this practice

STOP CREDIT USE IN GAMBLING TRANSACTIONS:

"Stop the use of credit cards (debit cards where the transaction would create an overdraft) to pay for gambling transactions."

The Case:

The global financial crisis serves as a stark reminder to us all of the folly of irresponsible lending. In the end it is society as a whole that is feeling the pinch for the greed of the banking industry that has been able to operate almost unchecked in an environment of lax regulation. As the banks have run into liquidity problems, it is tax payers' money that has been used to bail them out. As the banks have curtailed lending to almost everybody, demand for goods has plummeted along with consumer confidence. As the recession bites, and companies fail or downsize in order to survive it will again be society that picks up the cost.

IT IS IN EVERYBODY'S INTEREST TO FIGHT FOR AN END TO IRRESPONSIBLE LENDING PRACTICES.

@GamblingHurts believes that the time is right to demand the end to the practice of banks knowingly lending money to be used for the purposes of funding online/mobile gambling transactions through the use of payment cards linked to any form of credit. (credit cards, debit cards used to access overdrafts) 

When a transaction is sent for authorisation a merchant identifier is sent with the request meaning that the bank knows the type of transaction being processed. All the banks need to do is block the use of payment cards to merchant type: gambling operators, where the transaction would involve the use of credit. 

REMEMBER THAT WHEN THE BANKS EXTENDS CREDIT FOR GAMBLING IT IS PUTTING YOUR DEPOSITS TO USE IN THIS WAY. 

Summary of campaign grounds:

1. Banks are committed to responsible lending practice. Lending for the purposes of  gambling can hardly be viewed as responsible lending.   
2. Commercial folly to allow people to gamble using borrowed money.
3. To protect vulnerable individuals who have gambling problems from running up huge debts. 
4. It is in the interest of society that this practice should be disallowed. 
5. Gambling operators should be forced to conduct their business in a responsible and ethical manner. This should include the basic principal that gambling as an activity should be funded from an individual's own money.

 

WHY THE NEED?

Gambling operators have taken advantage of rapidly changing technologies in order to maximise their profits. They will do anything to rake in the money and have little interest in where it comes from including whether the person depositing the money is a problem gambler and spending the yearly household budget. Quite simply they are not going to stop taking credit card deposits unless they are forced to do so either by the banks or by government legislation.

@GamblingHurts will collaborate with other groups and campaigners to make gambling a safer place where all steps big or small are taken to keep addicted persons and minors out.