Author: Anton Johan
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Even though online gambling is fully legalised and regulated in the UK - and has
been for some years, just how 'sensitive' an industry it is in the Kingdom was
perfectly demonstrated this week by the brouhaha that a new play money online
gaming site launched by UK singing icon Robbie Williams has caused.
Robbie Williams - who was a member of highly successful 90s boy band Take That
before becoming a platinum-selling solo artist - has launched a beta version of
a play-for-fun online poker room that bears his name at RobbieWilliamsPoker.com.
While the site was embraced by online gambling fans as expected, neither
Williams nor his business partners could have foreseen the enormous backlash
that the new site has created.
Free Poker Site Accused of
Encouraging Gambling Addiction
It seems that those most offended by the new poker site are citing Williams' own
personal past addictions as the reason for their outcry. They contend that
Williams -who over the years has battled well-documented addictions to alcohol,
hard drugs and prescription drugs - has no business putting his name to a
website that may result in players becoming 'addicted'.
How players can become addicted to play money online poker games is beyond this
writer.
Surely playing play-for-fun online poker is no different to playing online
Sudoku, completing online crossword puzzles, or playing games on PC or via PS3,
Xbox, Nintendo and the like? While I see play money poker, as well as play money
casino games for that matter, as perfectly harmless, it seems there are many who
are quick to disagree.
And I'm not just talking about members of the British public who can't bare to
see Robbie Williams associated with anything other than pop music and syrupy
profiles in Hello magazine, because some government officials have also had
their say. Take Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and a member of the Liberal Democrat
political party, who spoke out about the singer's latest venture.
'I'm outraged by this. It directly targets his fans, including children. The
money he makes should go to addiction charities,' she expectorated.
RobbieWilliamsPoker.com Requires No Deposits to Play On
I'd like to know what money exactly Ms Munt referring to, being that players on
RobbieWilliamsPoker.com free play poker room are not required to deposit a
single penny?
As I understand it, registered players on the website are allocated free play
money chips every day, which they can use to play the various poker games on
offer for actual prizes. Plus, they get the added - and free - benefit of
enjoying play money poker in an environment with Robbie Williams splashed all
over the place.
My question is why are so many people enraged about this play money website when
- real money - land and online gambling is so prevalent in the UK in so many
variants? Consider that there is a William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral or bingo hall
on just about every high street in Britain, not too mention plenty of land
casinos in operation, plus a host of lottery games on offer.
Many UK Citizens View Online Gambling with Skepticism
It boggles my mind that in a society with such a long and rich heritage of
gambling that a play-for-free site associated with a singing icon could raise
even an eyebrow. It does, however, demonstrate that despite the UK's liberal
gambling culture and policies, there seem to be many people in the country who
still view online gambling with skepticism and mistrust.
Posted by Anton Johan at 11:08 on 8 February 2012
