Greyhound Racing - A gambling industry

[filou007de]

Dear all,

Please find below details of a Dispatches Channel 4 TV programme (Monday 6 August, 8pm, Channel 4) http://www.channel4.com/programmes/disp ... /episode-1

It is through Greyhound Compassion’s work for the greyhounds that we have seen the adverse impacts of gambling on children and young people.

The Dispatches programme shows the boom in betting shops. Michael Crick hears from an apologetic politician who now admits they got the gambling laws wrong, and from those most affected by the spread of the betting shops. Greyhound racing is primarily a gambling industry and live racing is streamed into betting shops. Children under 18 are prohibited from entering betting shops, yet children of any age can enter a greyhound racetrack, where they can witness gambling.

GRASP http://www.grasp-group.org/wordpress/, the gambling reform society, says that over 80% of GRASP members started gambling as a child and went on to develop a gambling addiction. GRASP is in consultation with Julie Hynes, MA, CPS, who is providing GRASP with medical research that proves the link that it’s dangerous to allow children to gamble legally (e.g. fruit machines), which they will provide to the Gambling Commission because children need to be protected. This means children should also be prevented from witnessing gambling at greyhound stadia.

Greyhound Compassion