Gambling.co.uk: Gambling News Archive

British gamblers protected from Vegas-style manipulation

Tactics to lure more money into the casino from punters will be outlawed

Monday 7th March 2005



In new legislation to allow Vega-style casinos to be built in Britain, the casinos will be banned from manipulating tactics to get punters to spend more money.

The Government wants to introduce safeguards against Las Vegas-style manipulation in Britain’s eight super-casinos. The first is expected to open in 2010 if the Gambling Bill becomes law. The controversial legislation returns to the Lords for a committee session this Thursday. Alcohol has already been banned from gaming tables, and the new casinos will not be able to use incentive schemes like free hotel stays, hotel upgrades and meals that may encourage problem gambling.

It is a well-known practice of US casinos to use underhand tactics to get people to stay in casinos for hours on end. For example, nowhere on a casino floor will you find a clock, and it never gets dark. These fool slotters into loosing track of time and spending more money.

British Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell has expressed disdain at these policies and claims she will not be allowing them at the new casinos on British soil.

Ms Jowell said as reported in the London Times, “British casinos will be quite different to those overseas. They will have to act in a socially responsible way and will be tightly regulated. They will be run according to British rules and we’ll simply not allow any tricks which people are subjected to unawares and which increase the risk of problem gambling.”




Source: OnlineCasinoNews