In an age when it’s easier than ever to have a flutter, should gambling be spoken of in the same breath as cigarettes, drugs and alcohol? Does the gambling industry need greater regulation? Is it up to the individual to make an informed choice? How much is too much? As problem gambling rates remain low, at what point do the needs of the few outweigh the free leisure time and choice of the many? Do we have a gambling problem? In this engaging debate filmed at the Battle of Ideas, things get heated, many personal tales emerge and there’s much to make you think. Well worth a watch and do leave your thoughts below.
The speakers are: John Crowley, editor-in-chief, International Business Times; Malcolm George, chief executive officer, Association of British Bookmakers; Mark Littlewood, director general, Institute of Economic Affairs; Professor Jim Orford, emeritus Professor of Clinical and Community Psychology, University of Birmingham, founder, Gambling Watch UK, author, Power, Powerlessness and Addiction; Hilary Salt, actuary, founder, First Actuarial. The chair is Adam Rawcliffe, partnerships manager, Institute of Ideas.
