But I'm of the school of thought that says that's OK and I can indulge in a gentle flutter if I want to. I imagine culture secretary Tessa Jowell would probably agree with me, judging by her recent relaxation of the gambling laws.
The Government view is that the level of problem gambling in Britain is small. Reassuring unless you're the one in every hundred gamblers who is addicted. A recent survey by the University of Plymouth suggested that as many as five per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds have a gambling problem.
And there seem to be genuine fears of an explosion in addiction as the shake-up takes affect and Vegas-style gambling palaces spring up in our market towns. One answer of course is to build in some protection measures for the needy and the vulnerable. (It gets hard at this point not to feel some sympathy for the Government: over-regulate and you're a killjoy nanny state; under-regulate and you're not protecting the vulnerable - heads they win, tails you lose).
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