The Gambling Commission recently went undercover to reveal that 98% of bookies allow underage customers to place bets. The survey, visited five major betting operators and found that 98 out of 100 visited, allowed a 17 year old to place a bet.
The Commission’s report has shocked the gambling industry, which presides itself on operating a “think 21” scheme, which enforces that anyone who looks under 21 and tries to place a bet must be asked for ID by staff. The Guardian has reported that Andy Lyman, of the Association of British Bookmakers, suggested the report was “embarrassing” and announced that the industry will create a new system to deal with the matter in the next few weeks.
As the majority of staff who were visited by the undercover 17 year old didn’t think to check for ID, Lyman has proposed that “All the major operators agree that failing to operate the 'think 21' policy amounts to gross misconduct…Staff who do not carry out this procedure are likely to be sacked.”
The Commission recently sent a letter outlining the reports findings to the bookmakers which it found were not up to scratch, however this move has been criticised by Don Foster, the Liberal Democrats’ culture, media and sports spokesman, who noted; “The commission's 'softly, softly' approach is extremely worrying - sending out a strongly worded letter to these companies simply isn't good enough.”
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