pokerjo22
01-26-2005, 04:18 PM
So I'd always wondered where my lifetime of gambling addiction had come from - holidays in Blackpool apparently.
[ QUOTE ]
Labour wants to reduce the size of Teddy bears given as prizes in seaside arcades to discourage children from a lifetime of gambling.
The Tories have condemned the move as the nanny state gone mad and say cuddly toys do not turn children into gambling addicts.
Under the same Gambling Bill, which will pave the way for eight Las Vegas-style super casinos with machines offering unlimited money prizes for adults, ministers want to introduce tougher regulations on the humble seaside arcade machines.
The plans, criticised in the Commons this week, involve cutting the maximum value of a Teddy bear prize, or cash winnings, from the current £8 to £5.
The move is partly in response to calls from faith organisations, such as the Salvation Army, to ban children from using the machines.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: "The Government believes that children should be able to play these machines but the stakes, and prizes, should discourage them playing them too much."
The move has prompted protests from the arcade industry and MPs. "For a very small amount of money, the machines give a great deal of pleasure to people hoping for a Teddy bear," said John Gummer, the Tory MP and former Cabinet Minister.
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Labour wants to reduce the size of Teddy bears given as prizes in seaside arcades to discourage children from a lifetime of gambling.
The Tories have condemned the move as the nanny state gone mad and say cuddly toys do not turn children into gambling addicts.
Under the same Gambling Bill, which will pave the way for eight Las Vegas-style super casinos with machines offering unlimited money prizes for adults, ministers want to introduce tougher regulations on the humble seaside arcade machines.
The plans, criticised in the Commons this week, involve cutting the maximum value of a Teddy bear prize, or cash winnings, from the current £8 to £5.
The move is partly in response to calls from faith organisations, such as the Salvation Army, to ban children from using the machines.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: "The Government believes that children should be able to play these machines but the stakes, and prizes, should discourage them playing them too much."
The move has prompted protests from the arcade industry and MPs. "For a very small amount of money, the machines give a great deal of pleasure to people hoping for a Teddy bear," said John Gummer, the Tory MP and former Cabinet Minister.
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