Radio Five report on online poker on Sunday morning

[AndrewT]

Tomorrow morning (sometime between 10 and 1, though probably after 12) Radio Five are broadcasting a piece about internet poker.

"Internet poker is booming globally, with 40 million players around the world and rising. Half of them are in the US, where despite being effectively illegal, internet poker is sweeping university campuses and even high schools. But as it catches on in Britain too, new research reveals that not only does this form of gambling appeal especially to web-savvy teens but significant numbers of them are in danger of becoming 'addicts'. Talking to teen players and the big online poker companies, James Silver reports from the UK and USA on the pastime that's been described as more addictive than crack cocaine and exposes how easy it is for underage players to bypass the age checks and lose big bucks very fast."

So it looks very much like a "won't someone think of the children" scare piece trying to stop people losing money to us. I, for one, can't wait to hear the in-depth investigative research which unearthed the surprising fact that internet poker appeals to "web-savvy teens".

I will listen to it, even though it'll probably wind me up.

[ripple11]

  ...sat in the car listening to it whilst "her in doors" was shoe shopping

 A total waste of an hour.

 They managed to find a site where a teenager could use his fathers credit card to sign up and play ........as if you couldn't do a million others things online with you're dads card >:?
...and of course went on about problem gamblers, ..... .......failing to make the point it is player v player, and a skill element involved, ....not just running into William Hills and chucking hundreds on a 3 legged nag.
 ....and of course not one guest who knew about poker.....(guess Tikay was still in bed )

[ericstoner]

I agree, it was a tottally one sided travesty,only majoring on the addictive view of the chattering classes, on our game of choice. Taking only as case studies one uk, and one American teenage compulsive. Who'ed raided his parents cards to play online.
A bit of caring  control by the parents involved, may have been a help for these children.
It was the old , our betters and wisers being shocked at people making their own choices as to how to spend their money, like the o;d days when, it was quite ok for the landed gentry to wager vast estates on the outcome of a gamble, yet us Bob Cruchet workers had to enrol in gaming houses then wait 48 hrs to play lest we spend our hard earned before we come to our sences. Or a world whare the upper classes could spend time quffing champange,and seafood, at the races,while we must place a bet in an ill-lite dingy bookmakers, whare we could not even get a drink or a comfortable place to sit.
Here endith todays lesson on the clas struggle, oh and do'nt get me onto the power of religion to keep the masses in place.
Right, I'm off to bed.

[Ironside]

how on earth do kids get hold of there  parents credit cards in the first place surely this is the parents fault for poor discpline and for not looking after there wallets and they get what they deserve

personally i dont have and never will have a credit card and if i did it would be like my wallet and thats in my sight at all times apart from when i am sleeping where its under my pillow

so mr burgler come and get my wallet if you think your hard enough