Slot Machines Terribly Addictive for Children

Slot machines, or fruit machines as they are called in Europe, are one of the many dangers facing Europe’s young. Professor Mark Griffiths, an advisor to the government, said that he felt the slot machines would be the “first step on the road to addiction and a life of crime.” He said that the government is being “naïve” about the dangers of slot machines, but no one seems to be listening.

The new Gambling Act has classified the fruit slot machines as a Category D machine, which means they are listed as the same as amusement arcade games. This means that the slot machines can be placed in the same establishments as these arcade games, and thus children can easily play them. "Ministers say they want to protect the most vulnerable from the dangers of gambling. If they are serious, they must stop children playing these machines," Griffiths said.

The fact that they take 10p stakes and pay out up to £5 is what gave them their ruling, but Griffiths says, "It is extremely short-sighted to cling to the view that these slot machines are acceptable because they do not cost much to play. You can lose large amounts of money very quickly. For some, the dangers of [slot] machines will grow as liberalization of casinos gives young people more opportunities to gamble with higher stakes and for bigger jackpots. In the past 10 years, [slot] machines have been the predominant form of gambling by pathological gamblers treated in self-help groups and treatment centers across Europe."

He wanted to make it clear that those that gamble as adolescents are much more likely to have some sort of gambling addiction when they became adults.

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