|
Availability is a more difficult issue. On-line
casinos are available from anywhere in the
world, 24 hours a day. The automatic loading of
other sites and large amounts of promotional
e-mail could be particularly difficult for
problem gamblers. Autolinks could encourage a
winner to try to win more, or a loser to try
another site to win it back, and e-mail ads
could induce a relapse. Self-exclusion policies
are available at Lasseter's, and links to
Gamblers Anonymous and Net Nanny are available
at some sites.
There are a number of gambling related sites
that provide information to prevent problems.
For example, professionalgambler sells
information on the odds for various teams, but
it also provides a list of 10 ways to throw away
your money on sports bets. This list is designed
to educate gamblers about bad betting strategies
(e.g., using betting systems). Currently,
protection for minors from these sites is
inadequate. But the industry claims there is a
greater potential for security problems on the
Web than in other gambling venues because
everyone is checked, and fake IDs are excluded
(clubchance; see also igamingnews).
However, it remains to be seen if this will come
to pass. For the time being, it is up to parents
to use blocking devices such as Net Nanny and to
keep credit cards out of their children's hands.
Account names and passwords should also be kept
hidden. Parents and educators must teach
adolescents about their real chances of winning
and dispel myths of "easy money" by showing how
the games are stacked against them.
Back to casino
news
|
