Written by Marco Griffin
The Battle of Ideas Festival is an annual event which sees a wide range of topics debated across a full weekend. This year will be its 20th anniversary and will feature over 100 different debates across a variety of subjects.
One such debate which caught our eye features a discussion involving Jon Bryan and Matt-Zarb Cousin who debate the question of whether gambling is immoral.
Bryan is a Poker player and gambling writer who has written for numerous publications including SlotsHawk, Spiked-Online and Academy of Ideas. His aim is to challenge the one-sided narrative in debates surrounding gambling.
Matt Zarb-Cousin is a co-founder of Gamban, a type of computer software which gamblers can download onto their devices in order to stop them from accessing gambling websites. He also lobbied for a reduction in the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals from £100 to £2.
Are some forms of gambling seen differently from others?
The debate puts forward the idea that some forms of gambling are seen differently from others.
For example, the National Lottery, promoted and endorsed by different governments across Europe and the UK, is a form of gambling with one of the worst possible odds. The UK Lotto draw has odds of more than 45million to one. But on the other hand, other forms of gambling such as online slot machines and other casino games with a random chance of winning are villanised.
This type of online gambling games which are seen this way have come under heavy scrutiny in the UK recently, this despite the fact that the UK is the safest place in the world for online gamblers.
UK media headlines talk about ‘Problem Gambling’ and ‘Addictive Behaviour’ whenever the subject of online gambling arises including calls for new and tighter regulations. However, the National Lottery seems to escape such rhetoric.
The Battle of Ideas debate will seek to delve deeper into why this might be the case and whether it is fair or not.
The debate will begin at 13:45 on Saturday 18th October and will last 45 minutes. Tickets are available to purchase online. The event takes place at Church House, Westminster on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th October.
