So if you're a Dutch poker player read on, and if you're a Media&Society student please read on as well :)
The Dutch government recently stated that it seeks to allow online gambling and lift the restrictions that hundreds of thousands of Dutch people ignore.
This idea was proposed by the new, more liberal (can it even be more liberal in the Netherlands..?) government and proposes that licenses should be granted to online games such as poker, bingo and sports betting. By allowing internet gambling, the government can regulate the process more easily, which in turn creates somewhat of a win-win situation for both parties.
For this, I believe, we can thank technology. With the improvement of the online sector, things such as gambling no longer need to be restricted to confined areas which are created for the sole purpose of deepening gambling addiction. As I previously mentioned in my introductory post, casinos are purposefully created in such a way as to keep you there as long as possible and basically make you gamble all your money away in the hope of winning big. With the improvement of technology, games such as poker or even sports betting no longer need to be frowned upon as being connected to the mafia or otherwise dirty business, but rather can be performed and enjoyed in the comfort of one's own home. In this way, an individual can regulate the extent of his wins or losses without environmental pressure. The government can in turn regulate this business as well as gain a decent annual revenue. Furthermore, the legal online gambling sector can provide an interesting new area for advertising.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/19/us-netherlands-gambling-
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Do you really think that gambling on the internet is less addictive than gambling in a casino?
ReplyDeleteI have no knowledge of this so where I'm coming from is just observation. But we manage to get "addicted" to web pages on the internet very easily. I'm sure half of us would admit we are addicted to facebook, and when we come across an interesting web page with frequent updates, it is very easy to spend hours and hours reading through it and return on daily basis.
And that is without the highly addictive gambling component.
You make an interesting looking website and let people play poker for money on it and I think you have a recipe for a lot of maxed out credit cards.
But as I said, I have no statistics to back this up, so maybe I'm wrong. :)
True, but one's behavior can be potentially altered if they are at home. If you're in a casino there are many many things which psychologically force you to stay, such as free alcohol, no clocks, sounds of others winning etc. without these stimuli it is hard to say whether or not gambling would be more or less addictive online. I do believe, however, that in the realms of the internet one can be in better control of their spending if they are affected by work, duties, are not inebriated, or perhaps have a nagging wife or girlfriend to check up on them :)
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely an interesting topic to research... In terms how many hours and how much money people generally spend in casinos and on online gambling sites. I would like to know.
ReplyDeleteEven if casino gambling is more serious in terms of long term gambling addiction, I think that online gambling may attract a much broader spectrum of gamers. There are many people who may be prone to gambling addiction (or addiction in general) who would just never find themselves in a casino, for either social reasons, geographical reasons or they simply aren't that kinda personality. Whereas everyone who has access to the internet including elderly people, moms, dads, young people, well everyone, can get succumb to the occasional game on the web, which can develop into an addiction.
I agree with the "nagging"wife thing. People are easier to control at home than anywhere else.