Worries over problem gambling at online bingo and gambling sites

A new follow up study to an in depth 2007 survey in respect of gamblers carried out by Nottingham University has been released by the Gambling commission.  The new report looks at the latest internet gaming phenomenon and also analyses the possibility of any associated dangers for the individuals who participate in online gambling and covers all areas of gaming from online bingo to online spreadbetting.  The report has the rather catchy title of (LOL) Internet gambling: a secondary analysis of findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, is also a precursor to a more up to date British Gambling Prevalence survey which is due to be released in 2010.

The new report is the result of survey data obtained from a sample of 9003 gamblers from all over the UK, and seems to show that there is a much higher incidence of problem gambling for those that participate in internet gambling whether it be at online bingo sites or poker sites etc., than those that might participate in gambling at high street casinos, bingo halls or bookmakers.  It would appear from the data that the ability to gamble 24/7 may well be a contributory factor to the higher number of problem gamblers in the report.  The report from the Gambling Commission goes on to say that online gambling sites must be aware of the problems faced by those with a tendency to gamble excessively and to have facilities in place to help to provide guidance and help to those that are affected and that seek help.

The big name gambling and online bingo sites like Foxy Bingo are all very conscious of the problems faced by individuals who have problems with controlling their gambling habits.  Foxy Bingo has stringent measure in place to help and protect those affected or possibly affected by problem gambling.  In fact  Foxy Bingo has a GamCare certificate which is issued to gambling companies who follow the GamCare Code of Practice, the code requires that gambling sites have self exclusion policies, advice and available support, restriction controls on gambling spends, consultation policies and rigorous training for staff in respect of the social implication of gambling and awareness of problem gambling issues.

The survey by the Gambling Commission was carried out in October 2008 and shows that there is a much higher incidence of male online gamblers than there are women, the demographics are reportedly different too with a much higher level of online gamblers who are well educated professionals and single. The age of online gamblers was significantly different to the age of non-internet gamblers, a massive 55% of the online gamblers were aged 34 years or younger in contrast to the 45 to 64 years registered for offline gamblers.