On 23rd April, the Mail Online run a story regarding an unfortunate lady who had allowed bingo gambling to spin out of her control and was seeking professional help from GamCare (the original article can be read here).The issue of problem gambling is indeed an important one and it deserves highlighting, but rather than write a personal piece about this lady’s experience, the Mail decided to run a complete trashing of the entire industry.
In addition to many inaccuracies within the article, the Daily Mail bring attention to ‘sites that use cartoon characters and games such as Kitty Glitter to entice women in’. The statement itself is rank hypocrisy from the Mail Online, who although many may not know, are partnered with Pink Ribbon Bingo, one of the very bingo brands that use cartoon figures to tempt players in. The hypocrisy doesn’t end there either, as one of the slots you can play at Pink Ribbon Bingo is indeed Kitty Glitter.
Now the Mail Online mention several online bingo brands within the article, concentrating mainly on Kitty Bingo. The reporter, to use the term lightly, had signed up at Pink Casino herself to try out some of the games, and 888Ladies and Foxy Bingo are another two sites that get a mention in the diatribe at the industry. Maybe unsurprisingly, Pink Ribbon Bingo, partnered with the Daily Mail doesn’t get a mention at all, despite there being a ‘Bingo’ link to the site at the very top of the Mail Online website, which takes you directly to Pink Ribbon Bingo itself, as shown below.
Of the sites mentioned in the article, the Mail claim that ‘Many have UK web addresses, but they are often based in British territories such as Gibraltar and the Channel Islands that are not yet covered by UK Gambling Commission rules’, and while this is true for tax purposes, it’s untrue for regulation. The bingo industry in the UK is highly regulated for players, and for any brand to be allowed to advertise on British TV, as all the sites mentioned in the article do, they have to follow strict UK guidelines, laid out by the UK Gambling Commission. So whatever the Daily Mail rhetoric is for today, you know your money is safe when you play at any reputable UK bingo site, and you know there’ll be plenty of safeguards to set wagering limits and even self-exclude if you need to.
At the very least the article is littered with inaccuracies, and incredibly patronising to women. Women don’t play online bingo because of cartoon characters, kitties and cupcakes, we play to have fun and win money. We play for the same reasons as men like to gamble on horses and sport, and unfortunately that means that sometimes we fall into the pitfalls that gambling can bring.
Gamble responsibly, and watch out for the kitties and cupcakes!
As a footnote, this type of hypcorisy is not a first from the Daily Mail, nor is it the first time that we have addressed similar issues and shared opionion on it. In July 2007 David Lloyd wrote the following article:
Daily Mail And Its Gambling Hyprocisy
