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UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

theguardian.com

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Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#61

Post by giantg2 »

Tostino wrote: post #44
giantg2 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate them, but I'd probably work for them. There's a lot to hate about places like big tech, finance, energy, and basically every other sector. It would probably soul crushing, but so is my current job.

I don't think me hating my current job would make me more willing to work on products that have a very real, measurable harm to the population as a whole, just for some more money.

What do you work on now that doesn't have real negative impacts to individuals or society?

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#62

Post by giantg2 »

spencerflem wrote: post #42
giantg2 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure of your location, but it seems many rural areas have turned completely to vice. It seems every other new business is a smoke shop, dispensary, bar, tattoo parlor, etc. Many other businesses are shutting down, like bowling alleys, hobby related stores, etc. And gambling has been added to some that stick around, including stuff like "skills based" games. But the most obviously bad change I've seen is the drugs…

I think heavy drug use is more a symptom of hopelessness than the other way round

Primarily, I agree. However, I think there is a secondary effect once it's wide enough spread that others start to think things are hopeless, or the crime and broken homes from the drug use erode the hope of others.

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#63

Post by giantg2 »

dutchbookmaker wrote: post #45
giantg2 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty rampant in the US too. I don't think a little gambling is bad, but the endless ads are a huge problem. They should really make all advertising of commonly addictive stuff banned - gambling, alcohol, etc. They should also do a better job of educating kids in school about the dangers and tricks. They were going you $100+ to open an account, or doing a deposit match up to $1k here. It's exactly what drug dea…

I think sports betting is obnoxious and stupid but I do worry about this moral policing some seem to want to do. The people I know losing money to online sports betting are the same people who thought they were going to become pro online poker grinders 15 years ago. If you got rid of online sports betting they would go play slots at the casino more and waste their money on the lottery. If you get rid of all games of…

I never said I want it to go away. I merely said that maybe we shouldn't advertise things that commonly lead to addiction. I've gambled a little here or there and don't see any harm if it's limited and done for fun.

It might reduce the number of people who get into in the first place. But more likely and more importantly I would hope that it makes it easier for people who want to recover to not be tempted. I can't image what it would be like for an alcoholic to watch a cold refreshing beer cracked open in the types of party settings they used to enjoy during an ad, or for a gambler to see someone in an ad winning and hear that if you put $1k into an account they'll give you another $1k and other benefits.

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#64

Post by giantg2 »

skippyboxedhero wrote: post #52
giantg2 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then can you share a link? I've seen stuff about negative economic effects of compulsive gambling, but never anything at the aggregate level including the non-problem gamblers. It seems really odd any country would allow gambling if the aggregate effect is negative and so well known. Politicians always talk about the economic benefits (beyond just taxes), but they've also been known to lie.

The negative effects are generally low. Some types of gambling are close to zero harm (i.e. bingo, some kinds of machines, and sports betting), and the rate of addiction in most studies is under 0.5-1%. The same people who will say that gambling should be illegal are the same people who believe that you should be allowed to take any amount of psychoactive drugs that are addictive for almost everyone and leave a doubl…

This doesn't seem to have anything to do with my comment. I was asking for the data where the grandparent was saying the economic effect is net negative.

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#65

Post by giantg2 »

andyjohnson0 wrote: post #41
giantg2 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate them, but I'd probably work for them. There's a lot to hate about places like big tech, finance, energy, and basically every other sector. It would probably soul crushing, but so is my current job.

My opinion is that gambling crushes other people's souls. I'm not going to do that.

What do you do that doesn't crush souls?

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#66

Post by Retric »

locallost wrote: post #22
beejiu wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

£14 billion is the industry revenue. Gambling taxes to the state are £3.3 billion. Gambling harms are costed at £1.77 billion, of which £1 billion is death from suicide and £0.5 billion for depression. Those costs are conservative estimates (the government "expect that the true costs are higher because the lack of evidence meant that it was not possible to cost all types of harms or the wider harms to individuals or…

Automotive industry. If you factor in climate change, then fossil fuel industry first and foremost, but actually quite a lot of them.

Automobiles have serious positive externalities. Even just ambulances and fire trucks are a major societal benefit.

I’m drawing a blank on the positive externalities gambling provides to offset its downsides? Reducing illegal gambling...

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#67

Post by nradov »

spencerflem wrote: post #42
giantg2 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure of your location, but it seems many rural areas have turned completely to vice. It seems every other new business is a smoke shop, dispensary, bar, tattoo parlor, etc. Many other businesses are shutting down, like bowling alleys, hobby related stores, etc. And gambling has been added to some that stick around, including stuff like "skills based" games. But the most obviously bad change I've seen is the drugs…

I think heavy drug use is more a symptom of hopelessness than the other way round

bidirectional causality

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#68

Post by s1artibartfast »

spencerflem wrote: post #42
giantg2 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure of your location, but it seems many rural areas have turned completely to vice. It seems every other new business is a smoke shop, dispensary, bar, tattoo parlor, etc. Many other businesses are shutting down, like bowling alleys, hobby related stores, etc. And gambling has been added to some that stick around, including stuff like "skills based" games. But the most obviously bad change I've seen is the drugs…

I think heavy drug use is more a symptom of hopelessness than the other way round

I dont think so. I believe The starting point is often mostly functional people, Some of these have major problems which are struggling to manage.

Drugs can lead to a decent path with the end stage of hopelessness and massively more problems than they started with.

I think early intervention is possible, and how it works for the vast majority of people. Not everyone who has a beer or line of coke starts off miserable and hopeless. That's later, after they have Dui's, lost jobs, broken relations, and failing health.

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#69

Post by Tostino »

giantg2 wrote: post #61
Tostino wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think me hating my current job would make me more willing to work on products that have a very real, measurable harm to the population as a whole, just for some more money.

What do you work on now that doesn't have real negative impacts to individuals or society?

The last company I co-founded was software for helping accounting departments for (primarily food) manufacturers make sure that their customers were getting the correct discounts laid out in their contracts, and they weren't over or underpaying. Helped them detect fraud and mistakes with their distributors / retailers. Called "trade promotion management" software if anyone looks into it more.

That was my last decade of work.

Working on another company now that will solve some other problems that I know about in this part of the industry.

Re: UK betting giant's unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked

#70

Post by throwaway2037 »

bbrks wrote: post #39
andyjohnson0 wrote: post #14

I'm in the UK and have been applying for dev jobs over the last six months. I've had at least five approaches from recruiters representing gambling companies. They seem to have a lot of money to spend on salaries, and promise experience of languages like Go, and also ML, data science, etc. I always give them the same answer: no. I don't work for parasites. I remember the time before the Blair government unwisely dere…

UK tech job pay is very bimodal and unfortunately both modes suck in different ways... In the major mode, it feels like 90% are gambling, crypto or traditional finance. The remaining 10% are US tech companies getting a bit more for their money over here. Not sure how much longer that last subcategory will last. Most of these jobs will leave you wanting a good scrub in a scalding shower. Even the US ones. The minor mo…

    > traditional finance
I would go further and separate tech jobs between (a) commercial banking and (b) "markets" (trading) at investment banks. There is a huge pay gap between them.
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