Prelude to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

Future Gambling Problems in the UK?

The new reform at the UK regarding the gambling industry causes much unease to certain public figures. Would the Gambling Bill increase gambling problems in the UK? Peter Dean, head of the novel Gambling Commission, has straight disagreed with the Cultural Secretary’s claim that the future-to-be-built super casinos will not generate more gambling addiction cases. In a special interview with The Times, he claimed that this was “an overstatement”.

There are more than 300,000 gambling problem cases in the UK, which can be dealt only by professional counseling, according to Mark Griffiths, a professor of gambling studies. The Gambling Bill, which passed in May at the parliament, will establish the grounds for super casinos to operate in Britain from the year 2009.

Mr. Dean, who is responsible for preventing gambling problems' strengthening in the UK, has surprised gambling opponents by setting out his faire approach to the new regulations that would come into power in the middle of the near year, “We should not regulate heavily for the sake of being though and strict just for the public's image of us. I think that’s totally pointless and unsuitable,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Culture and Sports said: “The Gambling Commission is present to put into practice UK's novel Gambling Act and we make no request for forgiveness for the hard new shielding the Act introduces.”