Welcome to my new book! 

Its about the obvious absurdity that is Financial Checks on gambling.

I am crowd sourcing the editing and fact checking of it prior to publication

If you'd like to help please sign up below

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Here is an AI generated summary of the book:

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The provided document, titled "The Folly of Financial Checks," is a draft work by Dr. Steve Donoughue that critically examines British gambling policy between 2005 and 2025. The central thesis is that the introduction of mandatory financial and affordability checks is a significant public policy error driven by "ideological zeal" rather than robust evidence.

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The author argues that these measures threaten the existence of the regulated British gambling industry and the sports that depend on it, specifically horseracing.

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Core Arguments Against Financial Checks

The author identifies several critical flaws in the current regulatory trajectory:

• Existential Threat to Horseracing: High-spending, "robust" punters provide the majority of liquidity for betting markets and funding for racing through the Horserace Betting Levy. Mandatory checks on these individuals are predicted to push them toward the black market, causing a "death spiral" for the sport.

• Expansion of the Black Market: The document asserts that restrictive regulations do not stop gambling; they merely drive it to unregulated, offshore markets where no consumer protections exist.

• Flawed Evidence Base: The author contends that the Gambling Commission (UKGC) uses circumstantial evidence, small-scale scoping studies, and methodologically biased research to justify intervention.

• Infringement on Civil Liberties: The author argues that forcing citizens to prove they can afford to spend their own earned money on a legal activity is an unprecedented and discriminatory state intervention.

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Key Thematic Sections

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The Evolution of Checks

Details the shift from "affordability checks" to "financial vulnerability" and "financial risk" assessments. It claims the UKGC poorly implemented initial affordability guidelines, leading to industry-wide inconsistency.

The Dutch Experience

Serves as a case study, arguing that similar restrictions in the Netherlands led to a significant drop in legal "channeling" and a corresponding rise in black market activity.

Regulatory "Radicalization"

Accuses the UKGC and activist academics of "weaponizing" statistics regarding gambling-related suicide and problem gambling rates to create a "moral panic".

Public Pushback

Highlights the "Right to Bet" campaign and a parliamentary petition that garnered over 100,000 signatures, reflecting widespread public opposition to intrusive checks.

Critique of the Regulator (UKGC)

The document is highly critical of the Gambling Commission, alleging it has moved from being a neutral enforcer of the Gambling Act 2005 to an "anti-gambling advocate". Key allegations include:

• Accountability Issues: The UKGC is accused of being "out of control" and routinely ignoring consultation responses that disagree with its predetermined goals.

• Biased Research: The author claims the UKGC uses "Soviet-style" techniques, such as commissioning surveys with skewed samples or "priming" respondents with biased educational materials to produce supportive results.

• Inconsistency: The author asserts that the very "inconsistency" in the market the UKGC claims to solve was actually caused by its own poorly written regulations and arbitrary enforcement actions.

 

Conclusion of the Work

Dr. Donoughue concludes that current policy is heading toward a "public policy failure". He advocates for a return to the "permissive" intent of the Gambling Act 2005, emphasizing that the majority of gamblers play safely and that the state should focus on targeted mental health support rather than blanket financial restrictions that benefit criminal black-market operators.

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Here is the teaser document that was posted on social media:

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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A .PDF COPY OF THE BOOK IN ITS DRAFT FORM

I AM CROWDSOURCING  THE EDITING & FACT CHECKING PLEASE SIGN UP BELOW

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