Irish gambling news looks at betting terminals

Fixed odds betting terminals are in the Irish gambling news again and are as usual being blamed for increasing the possibility of addiction or at least encouraging people to gamble. FOBTs are to be found mostly in bookmakers shops and the criticism is that it is possible to play casino games such as roulette for large stakes and the game lasts a very short time but online gambling and particularly online casino gambling allows pretty much the same opportunity but the major difference which is not mentioned in the Irish gambling news is that to participate in online gambling you must first have an account which indicates that you have made a conscious decision to try online gambling whereas in a bookmaker it could be very spontaneous. Gambling is recognised as being used by some as a means to try to make some quick money but fortunately the very large majority of Irish gamblers see it as a form of entertainment and take pleasure in beating the odds rather than making large amounts of money although of course a big win is always welcome. The betting shop industry is also being accused in the Irish gambling news of targeting the poorer end of society by having more shops and FOBTs in those areas than in the more affluent areas of towns and cities but actually of course if there is no demand in an area there will also be no betting shops. The other question which is also not covered in the Irish gambling news is what influence online gambling has on the use of betting shops; it could be that the more affluent gamblers feel uncomfortable in a betting shop environment and therefore use online gambling to a greater extent than those who see the betting shop as part of their society to be visited on a daily basis.