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"GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY"

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We’re hoping to see you returning again

To give us your hard-earned bunce

So make sure that you gamble responsibly though

Don’t lose all your outlay at once.

 

The last thing we want for our business

Is a punter that goes to the wall

Depleting our customer numbers

And not good for cash-flow at all.

 

Our public position is “Take Control”

And “Gamble Responsibly” too

But there’s hypocritical shortfall

Between what we say and we do.

 

You’ve seen all our ads on the telly

With Rio and Crouch and Jose

You’ll note that everyone’s winning

So roll up, you muppets, and play.

 

No need to study the form book

Of footie or horses or dogs

Just give us your brass and place your bet

It’s like falling off of a log.

 

No need to schlep down the bookies

Or even to get out of your chair

We really don’t mind where we fleece you

We honestly don’t really care.

 

We’ve Bingo these days for the ladies

A market we’ve recently tapped

We don’t check your credit score rating

Or concern ourselves that you’re cash-strapped.

 

So enter our virtual casino

Drawn in by the lure of free spins

By celebrities like that Mourhino

Who’ve traded for silver their sins.

 

Yes, hypocrisy’s our bread and butter

Let’s start you with minimal stakes

Encouraging your little flutter

We’ll tell you whatever it takes.

 

It’s just harmless fun is our message

But secretly think that you’re mugs

By planting the seeds of addiction

We’re peddling the new Class A drugs.

◄ FAIR COP

LIVING DOLL ►

Comments

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M.C. Newberry

Mon 2nd May 2022 17:33

Business is business and advertises to elicit more business, from
which the government takes income. I don't see food and drink
ads. carrying warnings ("This stuff makes you fat and spotty"/
"Beware of becoming an alky"! etc.!) - with added referrals to
sources of "help" and "advice". to save the weak-willed from themselves. Now, I must check the 5.45pm at Windsor via PaddyPower.com, on this bank holiday to see how my £2.50 E/W
gets on..😏

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John Coopey

Mon 2nd May 2022 15:49

I have no issue with you that your decision to have a bet or not, how much and how often are your domain alone, MC. But John is right; the very purpose gaming companies have in advertising is to make money ie to elicit more betting. Why else do they advertise? If they were really concerned that some punters were getting in over their heads they wouldn’t advertise celebrity punters winning. If they were really concerned they would show skint punters losing.
Put another way, what detriment would it be to a responsible gambler like yourself if they didn’t advertise?

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John Botterill

Mon 2nd May 2022 08:35

A civilised society is not one where people with obvious addictions are preyed upon by unscrupulous and largely unregulated businesses, MC. I am in JCs corner here. Bookies mouth platitudes and pretend but their business model is predicated upon sending gullible people to the bread line 😕

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M.C. Newberry

Sun 1st May 2022 17:41

JC - It's always a pleasure to debate issues with you, because
you possess those essential attributes: reason and humour.
The point about hypocrisy is taken but I have the feeling that it
is, in its perceived and visible aspects e.g. the tags of "BeGambleAware. org,/"Take time to think" etc. + the posters
& leaflets placed in bookies, merely a product of the pressure
brought to bear by political posturings who like to look good
by "doing something". Nanny knows best!! When I joined
www. paddypower.com to add some betting fun to my horse
-racing interest, I was obliged to provide a bank card PLUS a
chosen financial limit per week, restricting my punting activity.
The rules were clearly set out. It is a choice to indulge in
betting or gambling and has long been so. Just as it should
be in any mature world. The warnings and advice are there
to instruct and guide those who fancy a punt. whatever
their chosen interest. In my book, that alone is overkill when
freedom to think and decide are hugely important in any
civilised society. I expect - no, I demand - the respect that
allows me to make up my own mind - to enjoy or suffer the
consequences. That's what life is about, isn't it? Cheers! 😐

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John Coopey

Sun 1st May 2022 08:16

Thankyou, Emeka. I suspect gambling is a universal condition.

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Emeka Collins

Sun 1st May 2022 02:12

I thought gambling was more African than Western. Everyone try to hard to survive out there. You built your poem strong with good sound.

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John Coopey

Sun 1st May 2022 00:04

A fiver will will do me nicely, Bethany.

<Deleted User> (33540)

Sat 30th Apr 2022 15:23

when I check my euromillions lottery ticket later John and find out that I have won the jackpot ( £10-&? millions you're on a fiver!
but invest it wisely!


but seriously John the lives that gambling has ruined and also caused untold numbers of suicides does and doesnt bear thinking about if you get my meaning

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John Coopey

Sat 30th Apr 2022 08:11

Thankyou Kevin and MC. I totally agree with you about self-control and personal responsibility, MC. I blame no-one for the size of my belly but me. But I think you miss the point; which is about the hypocrisy of the companies involved who purport to encourage punters to take control while actually doing the opposite. Do you really think their massive advertising campaign is about encouraging responsibility in their punters or about money, that is, more money.

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kJ Walker

Sat 30th Apr 2022 06:37

Gambling has just become too easy these days. When you can throw your money away from the comfort of your own home. Little thought involved, just a few clicks.
This poem makes the point well.

And yes it is an addiction.

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M.C. Newberry

Fri 29th Apr 2022 12:17

JC - what happened to those old words "self-control"? We've
arrived at an age in which we have lost sight of them..
The latest example is an MP (should be leading by example)
caught watching porn on his 'phone in the Commons. One
glaring example of the malaise that affects so many aspects of
life today. Over-eating/drinking are merely more readily
visible signs that are arguably more devastating to society than
a few (of many) who like a bet/drink but who can't control their behaviour and are pandered to because it is seen as an
"addiction", that instant qualification for "tea and sympathy" in
today's self-indulgent world. Ever heard of "cruel to be kind"?
Maybe a return to something of that sort would do more
good in the long term. 😏 Yrs etc.,
Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.

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John Coopey

Thu 28th Apr 2022 20:01

Thankyou, Stephen. Surely no-one believes the gaming companies have any interest whatsoever in the financial well-being of their punters. It’s the same sort of hypocrisy we saw during the COP summit when several companies were advertising their green credentials eg Amazon. It was called “greenwash”. This is “betwash”.

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Stephen Gospage

Thu 28th Apr 2022 18:55

What your poem does so well, John, is to illustrate the cyncial, corrosive nature of on-line gambling. You can now bet on anything and it's all pure luck, with the odds stacked against the players. As you say, we're a world away from studying the form and betting on horses or football. I have known people who got into difficulties and they certainly weren't fools, just ordinary types who got lured in by the promise of a quick buck and then another one, which of course, never comes. I think 'muppets' sums up the way this industry regards its customers.

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John Coopey

Thu 28th Apr 2022 10:08

Thankyou, John.

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John Botterill

Thu 28th Apr 2022 09:03

Excellent poem John. You make your points with humour and accuracy. You are so right, too. Gambling ruins lives and those celebrities who help to promote it should hang their heads in shame!

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John Coopey

Wed 27th Apr 2022 22:10

You make a fair point, MC. I would argue that an addiction to chocolate is nowhere near as potentially financially catastrophic as an addiction to gambling but, as a lifelong fattie, I do not underestimate how difficult it is to beat my addiction. You can give up alcohol. You can give up drugs, you can give up gambling, but you can’t give up eating. Imagine telling an alcoholic that should just have three drinks a day, or a smackhead they should just have one fix a day. Effectively that is what it is like for someone trying to lose weight.

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M.C. Newberry

Wed 27th Apr 2022 15:11

Next for something similar in this mode. I suggest "chocolate". 😋 Over to you JC.

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John Coopey

Wed 27th Apr 2022 14:56

Thankyou, Greg and Julie,
It’s a poor poem but a big thought.
And thanks for the Like, Holden.

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julie callaghan

Wed 27th Apr 2022 12:21

Brilliant, should be shared far and wide.

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Greg Freeman

Wed 27th Apr 2022 09:47

Well done, John, you've absolutely nailed the cynicism of everyone involved in marketing online gambling.

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M.C. Newberry

Tue 26th Apr 2022 23:24

JC - my betting (not to be confused with "gambling") is restricted
to horse racing - primarily the "flat" - due to the occasional unpredictable falls, even at the last fence - in races over the
sticks that were/are beyond the scope of the guidelines I follow.
But I take your point in the general sense. It's as much about
creating a false reality as anything else.
On a personal level I get uneasy thinking beyond a maximum £5 E/W online and see my wagers as payment for the pleasure of being able to watch the races that are available to view. 😐

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John Coopey

Tue 26th Apr 2022 20:17

MC - “The worst thing that can happen is that your first ever bet wins” (Wise words from my dad).

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M.C. Newberry

Tue 26th Apr 2022 19:52

It's advertising a product which you can
buy into and hope to profit while seeing
it performed for free in many instances.
I came to horse-racing late in my life, noting the sporadic
disappearance from the Saturday lunchtime pub bar of a small
number of regulars (together with the guv'nor) headed in the
direction of Ladbrokes across the road. The win at 16/1 of a horse called First Movement (trainer Geoff Huffer) was a
rewarding tip and I made a point of enlarging my knowledge
via the logical route of studying the essentials, like breeding, courses, going, allocated weights, trainers, jockeys - plus who
they rode for and where. It has since been a huge source of
fun even when I lose. Keep your bets modest and look for value. No one forces anyone to bet and a fool and his/her
money are soon parted whatever the way it's spent..

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John Coopey

Tue 26th Apr 2022 19:02

Indeed, Stephen. Crouchy is really disappointing.

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Stephen Gospage

Tue 26th Apr 2022 17:55

This a brilliant one, Crouchy - I mean, John. Ray Winstone is coining it in too.

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John Coopey

Tue 26th Apr 2022 16:57

Thanks for the Like, Russell. You’re quick off the mark!

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