Should the Government get tough on gambling?

PASSING a gambling machine in the bingo hall, I decided to have a go. I only had £1 in change, but I put it in the machine and ended up winning £500. After that stroke of luck, I became hooked. Over the months, my bills were not paid and I borrowed off anyone I could. I became addicted, even to the point of taking out bank loans I was not able to pay back. The bingo hall has rows of these machines. It’s money-grabbing off the elderly, addicts and anyone with time on their hands.

J. THOMAS, Hyde, Cheshire.

I WAs saddened and angry to read of Natasha White’s apparent gambling-induced suicide, but is it any wonder when we are daily subjected to brainwashing promoting online gambling and the latest lottery gimmick? If offshore internet gambling companies sold drugs, governments would be queuing up to rid society of them. But it appears that there is no incentive to take action when treasury coffers continue to be funded by online gambling. surely when a large percentage of the money involved is generated from state benefits and redirected to offshore company profits, something needs to be done. the Government should be brave enough to stand up to these legalised traffickers of misery.

COLIN NICOL, Cheam, Sutton.

WELL done for continuing to highlight the problems caused by gambling. Yes, there needs to be more safeguards, but the big problem is that you can lose your money from the comfort of your own home. Shouldn’t the first step be to ban the advertising of online gambling?

DAVID WHITE, Basingstoke, Hants.