Today marks the start of Safer Gambling Week which the bookies say is a way to raise awareness on how to keep gambling fun. However, Colin Walker of Monaghan Gamblers Anonymous says gambling is not fun and is in fact a very dangerous path to walk down.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Mr Walker pointed out that this latest awareness campaign is just a marketing ploy. He added that people are being encouraged into what they believe to be a safe environment but it is one that is actually fraught with danger.
Mr Walker says he knows of one bookmaker that is paying the company €1m a day - money, he highlighted, that is coming from people who are struggling. "There is no smell of the gambler; you don't get that whiff of alcohol and recognise the problem until it has manifested itself into a nightmare.
"I just find it very difficult to understand safe gambling - is there safe smoking? There isn't even passive smoking, it's dangerous. I can't understand how the bookies are allowed to promote a week like this," he concluded.
