It's funny these days how there's a big stink about online gambling addiction, and rightly there's lots of concern and support. But I find it strange that in the retail space there's next to no controls at all. I remember watching people play at the hall I worked at, the ones there everyday and thinking they must have had some problem, but it's not something that the retail industry ever addresses. There's a lot more protection and self help available online these days, with things like self exclusion policies, monitoring and advice. If anything I would say land based Bingo could learn a lot from its online cousin in respect of helping people with gambling addiction.
As to describing it as prevalent, according to recent figures problem gamblers have remained at the same level the last decade or so. In any aspect of life people can become addicted, be it ebay, bingo or food. It's a shame Bingo gets such a bad press from the moralists out there. Moralising can be addictive too!
Personal Experiences with Bingo Addiction
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