Casino betting machines are a problem in the UK

It seems from recent reports in the general casino news that the UK might have a much more serious gambling addiction problem than we have in Ireland and this is supposedly due to the FOBTs (Fixed Odds Betting Terminals) which are available in UK high street bookmakers shops but of course not here in Ireland. FOBTs allow customers to play Roulette and Blackjack by placing cash into the machine and although the games are very similar to those available at online casinos they are being blamed for the rise in addiction problems. The fact that this report is in the general casino news is interesting and raises the question as to why an online casino which is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week with very similar casino games seems to pose less of a problem and we can only think of one good reason and that is self limits. Online casinos have been around for many years and certainly provide round the clock entertainment for Irish casino players but as we all known most if not all online casinos ask you to provide a limit on your deposits in any given time frame when you first open an account and this limit can only be changed with a notice period whereas of course in a bookmakers shop there are no such limits. The programme which is in the general casino news does point out that some 92% of UK online casino players and online gamblers have absolutely no problem and we believe that percentage may be even higher in Ireland but it does seem to indicate that not having machines in our bookmakers shops is a good thing. Online casino play will always be in the general casino news as being a cause of gambling addiction but there is plenty of help available and the self limits are a tool to be used.