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The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Daily: CRISIS IN COVID CASINO – How problem gambling exploded in the pandemic

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

News, Government, Politics, Society & Culture

4.61K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2021

⏱️ 25 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Enforced isolation, powerlessness, boredom, even emasculation – lockdown was the perfect petri dish to create a pandemic of online gambling which affects young people worse than most. The Director of Clean Up Gambling Matt Zarb-Cousin was a problem gambler himself and betting almost destroyed his life. He talks to Andrew Harrison about how sponsorship and ads normalise dangerous betting behaviour, how the gambling industry capitalises on toxic masculinity, his personal experience with addiction, and what we need to do about this growing problem.  “We’ve created a generation who believe that betting obsessively on football is all part of supporting your team.”  “These are highly addictive products… I found myself missing sixth form classes to go to the bookies.” “Gambling offers the illusion of control but people end up feeling subordinated to it.”   “By advertising on football shirts, gambling companies can bypass advertising laws.”  Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

My name is Stan. I'm at. Nice to meet you. So you took up photography where? I've always loved

0:05.5

photography but I turn it into earning a living at 60. I enrolled on a day course.

0:11.8

Well college. I loved going to college. It's good you can retry. I'm enrolled on the day course. But college?

0:13.0

I loved going to college.

0:14.0

It's good you can retrain and do something.

0:16.0

Yeah, yeah.

0:17.0

Let's talk about working, learning, saving and making the most of living longer.

0:22.0

Phoenix Group is the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business.

0:28.0

Search Phoenix Group living longer.

0:30.0

Pets brings so much joy.

0:32.0

From those happy greetings at the door to the warm cuddles on the sofa

0:36.7

so give a little love back with dental life from Purina a range of delicious chues made for dogs and tasty snacks for cats that help clean and support your pets, teeth and gums, essential for their overall well-being and a happy, healthy they give you plenty of smiles so look after

0:55.9

theirs with denser life pick up denser life in the pet food aisle. A quick

1:00.5

service announcement due to technical issues this week's panel show is delayed a little,

1:05.0

but the good news is we can now bring you this daily a bit earlier than we planned.

1:08.6

We hope you enjoy it. Hello and welcome to the bunker I'm Andrew Harrison. Today are the odds ever

1:22.0

really in your favour among the numerous mini crises

1:25.4

spawned by the pandemic is an explosion in problem gambling in the first

1:29.0

lockdown in early 2020 even though live sport was, online virtual sports betting increased by 88%,

1:35.2

and online poker by 53% according to the Gambling Commission.

1:39.0

A House of Lords report last year found that a third of a million people in the UK are

1:42.4

problem or

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