How to make a billion: get into gambling

Not by gambling of course. Hardly anybody makes money from gambling, except the bookies. Ask Denise Coates, founder of Bet 365, who gave herself a paycheck of a cool 265 million quid in 2017. Online betting is extremely profitable for her and her cohort, who make billions and billions each year, their profits accruing as often as not from people at the lower end of the pay scale who can’t afford to lose.

Gambling addiction is a pernicious disease which is actively encouraged by the online betting firms, who, at the same time as urging us to “gamble responsibly” and “when the fun stops, stop”, continue to portray gambling as a glamourous activity, as indulged in by James Bond-like figures who, presumably, never lose.

Shame on you Ray Winston, for taking the shilling (more like tens of millions of shillings, I would imagine) from Bet 365 and encouraging us to part with our hard-earned pay! I used to rate you. Not any more. Shame on a government which is in such thrall to the big gambling concerns they have delayed and delayed the reduction in the amount and frequency you can lose money on those awful FOB (Fixed Odds Betting) terminals. Several MPs are in the pay of the gambling mega-companies, and form a highly effective lobby to keep the executive on their side.

The high street may be in crisis, but not as far as betting shops are concerned. They are popping up in increasing numbers all over the country, usually in the lower-income areas of our cities and towns. Here’s another thing. No less than 9 Premiership clubs are sponsored by betting companies, and loads more in the Championship. They sponsor most of the big snooker tournaments too. Now I remember when cigarette companies used to sponsor sport big time. Then it was decided that wasn’t a good idea, for the most obvious of reasons. Pelagius says that allowing the big betting firms to sponsor sporting events is equally unacceptable. Let’s put an end to it. Now!