Professor suggests Online Gambling should be legalised
22nd July, 2008
A Canadian marketing academic has called for online gambling to be made legal to encourage greater regulation, thus reducing the harmful effects on some gamblers.
Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Western Ontario, June Cotte, has suggested that the way the current online gambling industry is run will lead to more habitual players should the pastime be pushed underground and become unregulated.
A study she is due to publish looks at how gambling is perceived, and how it feels, for online and offline players. The study, entitled Blackjack in the Kitchen: Understanding Online Versus Casino Gambling, was conducted by asking for reactions to visual stimuli, and will be published at the end of 2009.
Cotte suggested a promising resolution: “One potential solution is to allow legitimate corporate sponsors, like the corporations that run the major casinos in Las Vegas or the government sponsors in Canada, to enter into a newly regulated market for online gambling.”
“Just as legalised commercial gambling in casinos allows governments to regulate it, so, too, could the legalisation of online gambling allow for better regulation and attempts to reduce the growth of problem gamblers.”
The results of her study showed that the online gambling participants were likely to gamble more frequently, and in a more aggressive manner. Whereas casino gamblers may partake in the activity for more social and relaxing reasons, online casino punters are mainly in it for the game, which can increase the risk of a dangerous addiction.
Online players are said to be able to ‘hide’, not needing to travel to a casino and face the general public to get their fix, meaning it could be integrated into everyday life, almost impossible for the average person going to a casino.
Cotte commented: “The unregulated online environment results in a more chaotic environment with no clear social norms and rules. The meaning of gambling changes, moving from a shared conviviality available in the casino to a no-holds-barred battle online. It brings out the gamblers' more competitive side.”
By Chris M
