>> A harmless past time for the vast majority of us who like a flutter. Just
>> because a minority can't cope
or as Betfair/Paddy Power, Ladbrokes/Coral, Bet365, William Hill etc call them, "the target market".
The bookies' conduct is appalling.
I don't have a problem with a flutter either, if I am at the races (about a dozen times in 40 years) I'll have a few bets. But the range of events one can bet on now, and the unlikely combinations of outcomes you can bet on, are almost limitless. All from your armchair, and in seconds.
There would be problems banning gambling. It's impossible, for a start. But I'm sure it could be curtailed dramatically. Who would suffer? Denise Coates on her £323m a year, that's who. Much of it at the expense of the families of addicts.
>> should you because again the vast majority of people drink sensibly.
No I wouldn't ban drinking. That really is impossible. But you can't lose your house quite so quickly with drinking, and it's harder to keep secret. It takes much longer to self-destruct for the ones who are so inclined. You actually have to drink the stuff, whereas you can lose thousands in an evening gambling - as people do.
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