Lewis Rogers Public Affairs Manager at William Hill and unsubstantiated claims. You decide?

See my evidence on this blog in response to Lewis Rogers Public Affairs Manager at William Hill comment that I am making unsubstantiated claims. You decide?

Letter to William Hill chief executive #1

Letter to William Hill chief executive #2

William Hill profited very nicely from my gambling addiction!

My William Hill activity between March and April 2003. More than £20,000 deposited in just over a month.

William Hill profited very nicely from my gambling addiction although they claim not to want problem gamblers!

They knew about my gambling addiction in March 2003 but continued to take money until all my MULTIPLE credit cards were drained. (See additional posts and my letters to the William Hill CEO.)

When I spoke with them about my problem they were at best indifferent and at times they were very unsympathetic and rude.

In short the gambling industry continues to cash in on FOBT & internet gambling in particular in same way as the drug dealer peddles to crack addict.

Letter to William Hill Chief Executive Officer #2

Mr A Franklin

Deleted.

                                                                                                                                                December 19 2003

David Harding

Chief Executive Officer

William Hill
Greenside House
50 Station Road
Wood Green
London
N22 7TP
United Kingdom

RECORDED DELIVERY

Dear Sir,

I am absolutely amazed that after all the correspondence exchanged between your company and myself with regard to my wishes not to be contacted in any way with regard to marketing promotions, unsolicited emails offering your services, I am still receiving emails.

I made your company fully aware that I had an internet gambling problem back in March of this year, and yet your company has continued to act totally irresponsibly.

I wish to once again summarize my complaints for your comment: -

·         I received no reply to my email dated March 5 2003, requesting closure of my accounts, and to be prevented from opening any further accounts.

·         Thereafter you were very slow to respond to my complaints.

·         You have not prevented me from being able to open further accounts. I have lost over £6000 to your company since I first made this request.

·         Your company have shown a complete lack of understanding and disregard to the problems of gambling. Furthermore various personnel have been totally insensitive to my predicament.

·         Your website until recently stated incorrectly that you are licensed to carry on business by the Government Of Antigua.

·         Your website until recently has made no reference to problem gambling, and the provision of contact numbers to gain assistance.

·         Despite numerous requests by letter, telephone, and email you are still sending me unsolicited emails.

·         I received no acknowledgement or direct response from yourself despite writing to you on May 12 2003.

The actions of your company are in my opinion completely unacceptable for a publicly quoted company, and demonstrate the need for much tougher legislation with regard to gambling.

Yours Faithfully

Mr A.H. Franklin

Cc R. Sadler, T. Baldry MP, BBC, The Times, Gamcare, Sun, Guardian, M. Howard MP and Leader Of The Opposition, The Right Honourable Tony Blair Prime Minister. 

Links to stories of gambling addiction

Below links to stories of gambling addiction. they move me, and make me further committed to the cause of raising awareness of gambling addiction and seeking gambling reform. I'll keep adding.

Reducing gambling regulation will ruin more lives

Local casinos: John Whittingdale's crazy plan to extract revenue from human misery

As addictive as crack cocaine

When going to work is far from a safe bet

They're the high-tech one-armed bandits, MPs want more of them

How Britain got addicted to bookies’ betting terminals

Paperboy's armed robbery to feed scratch card addiction

Bowling alley worker blew £73k in casino binge

Bingo addict stole £62,000 from workplace to fund online habit

Nurse's nightmare as husband was found hanged after gambling £20k

Southport fraudster who ran up gambling debts on his friend’s credit card escapes jail

Liverpool FC hero Didi Hamann reveals his alcohol and gambling hell

Gambling is rife among 17-year-olds, says report 'delayed' by charity's merger with gaming industry group

Britain's new addicts: women who gamble online, at home and in secret

Las Vegas Priest Guilty of Stealing $650,000 for Gambling Addiction

Walsall gambling addict forged father's signature to get second mortgage

Husband gambled away our home and our marriage…

Are you a secret gambler? Rebecca Rigg talks to mirror about gambling addiction from age 9

Snooker Legend Willie Thorne GAMBLING DEBTS led to attempted suicide 

FORMER football star John Hartson has revealed he has enrolled in Gamblers Anonymous to help him kick his addiction.

Grandson stole £17,000 from blind man to fund his gambling addiction

A Flint father stole £600,000 from his trusting employers to fund his excessive gambling addiction

Gambler in debt sold cocaine

Ernst & Young Boss steals £96,000 to fund gambling addiction

TV Host Jeremy Kyle and his gambling

BET-ADDICTED BANKER JAILED FOR ATM THEFT

COLIN HENDRY DECLARED BANKRUPT AS GAMBLING DEBTS TAKE TOLL

Escape from Gambling Hell

Suicide: Gambling addict found dead in Hoddlesden pub car park

Jail for £35,000 theft for gambling debts

Why the Chinese community is a dead cert for bookies - Problem gambling in Chinatown

Letters Tessa Jowell MP & Dominic Carman: Costs of a chronic gambling addiction

Leeds suicide over gambling loss

Gambling hurts, a true story: Do people know what gambling can do to a life? Do people know how addictive pokies are? Do people think – ‘Well, it’s a harmless pastime, just take as much as you are prepared to lose and have some fun, you might win’?

Gambling and drink drove me to brink of suicide, reveals Steve Paterson

Web gambler suicide bid after £158,000 loss on parents' cards

"I have been advocating for change to governments' gambling policies since our son died by suicide 9 years ago"

A Young Lawyer and His Family's Struggle with Gambling Addiction

Internet gambling led to suicide

GAMBLING DEBTS NEARLY DROVE ME TO SUICIDE

Raz's Story: I am sharing this story to help others recover from, and avoid the far-reaching damage my gambling has caused

Gambling Debt May Have Led to Bronco's Suicide

Jules Grenier, 74, hanged himself under a bridge near the casino on April 2, 2008, after a week-long gambling spree that cost him $6,000.

Gambler takes his life by driving off top storey of casino car park  

Introducing stronger gambling messages

An excellent conversation on twitter started by Tom Cummings who advocates gambling reform. You can read his blog here:

 

With the increased prevelance of gambling in society there is a need more than ever to increase awareness of gambling addiction. 

Introducing stronger gambling messages as a minimum threshold wherever gambling is available or advertised is consistent with promoting responsibility for a product that can have very harmful conseqences.

Some #strongergamblingmessages: (AND please contribute your own messages, all will be published here. Thank you.)