Bookmakers and other street corner casinos are grossing large sums catering "virtual roulette" machines, which mirror the real thing to the wide public. These betting devices, or FOBTs (fixed odds betting terminals, that allow customers to pay with credit, and debit cards have recently created a turmoil, as more and more people have joined the unflattering ranks of roulette addicted individuals.
The principle governing "virtual roulette" is quite simple as Dr. Mark Griffiths, professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University pointed out. It is designed in way which will subject players to recurring gambling, translated later on into the unhealthy addictive conduct. In the upcoming April, the group support for gamblers, GamCare will release a study elaborating on the dramatic surge in the number of people that have initiated the contacts through the help lines. The industry representatives say however, that an independent review by Mori found no traces for such superfluous addiction. In addition, it specified that merely 0.6 percent of adults indulge in games such as virtual roulette.
In contrast to the humble £4.5bn a year, generated by the National Lottery, revenues from FOBTs reach £380 per week at William Hill, which is a rise of about 93 percent in 2004, to £4.75bn.
| 
