UK Government Eliminating Competition

by Hollie Sanders

Recent happenings in the gambling world of the UK leave the readers wondering if there is a conspiracy to eliminate competition of UK’s National Lottery and the Gambling Commission…

News reports of the last few days report some restrictions being eased for casinos around the country, sparking the plans for many new “super-casino’s.” They also allowed the creation (by the government) of a new Gambling Commission designed to deal with the effects of the new casinos in terms of criminal activity and gambling addictions.

The other result of the lifting of restrictions allowed the National Lottery Association to begin commercial advertising seeming to directly insult the bingo halls currently in operation. The television commercial seemed to imply that playing bingo is boring and outdated, therefore getting lottery scratch off cards must be the way to truly enjoy one’s time.

The UK government has also imposed a large double-taxation policy on brick and mortar Bingo establishments, which is adding more insult to the industry.

The members of the bingo society must be asking themselves if this is a covert attempt to limit competition for dollars. The government backs the National Lottery. The government created the Gambling commission. They then allowed more freedom in advertising for the lottery and casino business’. Are they aiming to fill their pockets with the money typically spent in bingo halls and establishments?

The decisions stand in the hands of the people. Though most business operations are intended to further profits, it stands to be questioned whether those practices should be employed by the government, and put in place to be oppositional to citizen-backed organizations