Online Bingo is in the news yet again, this time for fraud committed by players to fund their bingo playing habit.
Bingo & Fraud – A Growing Issue
UK Bingo enthusiasts would not normally associate Bingo with fraud for a variety of reasons, including the fact that playing bingo is relatively inexpensive.
The fact of the matter is that two separate cases of fraud involving bingo sites have surfaced in two succeeding weeks is a shock to the system.
The first of the two fraud cases brought to trial involved a chartered accountant in Northern Ireland, she stole £50,000 from her employers to fund her habit. The poor lass involved has no doubt wrecked her career due to her inability to stop gambling on the site.
It is also the first time that we have seen a specific UK site named in a fraud-related trial. On this occasion, it was Jackpot Joy who runs a variety of gaming sites targeted at players in the United Kingdom.
The second person to be prosecuted for fraud was a carer of an elderly 92-year-old woman. The carer raided the frail lady’s account to the tune of £43,000 of which £30,000 was apparently spent on online bingo sites.No bingo site was mentioned in this report.
The United Kingdom does not have laws restricting monthly purchase amounts at Online Gambling sites as in some countries. Players in the UK get to decide how much they spend at Online Bingo sites.
Players can also not expect Bingo sites to turn away big players because they are spending too much, bingo sites do though have a duty to make sure that any problem gambling is stopped.
Most Online Bingo sites will have a link to a Gambling Helpline, some will allow players to decide how much they want to spend on a daily, weekly or monthly time period.
It must be stated that Jackpot Joy offers players these options. Most though pay lip service to the real and growing issue of problem gambling.
The reality is most Bingo sites tempt players with a variety of games that are Casino related. Go to any Online Bingo site, and there will be a huge amount of slot games with massive jackpots on offer on display in prominent places.
These are probably the games that cause addiction and loss of money by players.
These Bingo sites are all competing in an incredibly competitive marketplace and for them to invade or risk losing a player by asking tough questions on a player’s ability to spend is not likely to happen any time soon.
The fact of the matter is that as it is with anything, Online Bingo can be addictive, it is important to set limits on spending. Bingo games should be played for fun and not for winning a major amount of cash.
Even it if is a game of bingo it is still a form of gambling and the odds of winning huge amounts of cash are stacked against players.
If you believe you have a gambling-related problem it would be wise to contact any number of organizations that deal with these issues.
GamCare, as well as Gamblers Anonymous, are two of the organizations that can help deal with issues like this.
