Crackdown on Under-age Gambling

Half the gambling premises in Milton Keynes had failed to prevent the under-aged from entering the premises. Karen Ford, Head of the Council's Regulatory Unit, worked with the Gaming Commission and several 16 year old volunteers in a recent crackdown on 10 premises. It would not come as a surprised that if under-aged could get in without identification check, they would also be allowed to place bets. Three of these premises were found to guilty in this aspect as they allowed the volunteers to place bets.

In view of the anticipated opening of the new Aspers Casino in Milton Keynes later this year, the blitz was done to check that controls were carried out to prevent under-ages from having access to gambling facilities. Ms Ford said: "This was a disappointing result for the businesses involved but they have all made a commitment to improve staff training and to implement measures such as self-testing and the sharing of good practice. We will continue to monitor these and others to ensure the safety of children and young persons in Milton Keynes."

Most staff is indifferent when they see the under-aged enter the premises. With gambling facilities being easily available in the UK, sooner or later a person would have got involved in gambling. This attitude is the main cause for such lose control. To prevent further disappointment, Ms Ford need to constantly run check and blitz to toe the line or control will continue to slack. Slapping heavy fines on the operators will ensure they trained their staff accordingly.