Buying Votes?

Let’s say that people don’t want slot machines. They write their government and they tell them that expanding slot machines is a bad idea, and that they already have more than are needed. Then the government goes ahead and allows the expansion of slot machines to happen. Needless to say you would have a lot of pretty unhappy people at the government’s decision. Now add to that the fact that they received money from a supporter who wanted slot machines expanded more than anything – and now you have a real problem – one that many would call a bribe.

This is exactly what is going on in Britain as many are wondering why one of their most powerful slot machine and gambling entrepreneurs is giving the Conservative Party hundreds of thousands of pounds right after they say that they will allow more slot machines. Trevor Hemmings has given the party £200,000 and many say that it is a bribe to get what he wants.

Hemmings is worth almost £1bn so the amount is not much for him, especially when he realizes how much money he is going to make off of the additional slot machines. In 2005 the Gambling Act reduced the amount you could bet on slot machines and made it much tougher to gamble and lose large amounts of money. Then Conservative minister Tobias Ellwood demanded that it be revisted early last year.

He said that the government was taking money away from hard working families that ran these establishments. However, many say that the fact that they are getting a ton of money for looking at the bill again does not get lost on them.

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