Never Mind Responsible Gambling—What About Responsible Bookmaking?

"Responsible gambling"—a phrase deployed by bookmakers with the same sincerity as a used car salesman assuring you the dodgy motor in front of you was "only driven to church on Sundays." It’s the industry’s go-to moral fig leaf, covering up decades of predatory tactics that have turned Britain into a nation of algorithmically manipulated cash machines.

And presiding over this mess with the authority of a substitute teacher in a classroom full of delinquent teenagers is Andrew Rhodes, head of the Gambling Commission. His solution? Affordability checks. A masterpiece in bureaucratic misdirection that allows bookmakers to continue their most predatory tactics while making life miserable for recreational punters.

Meanwhile, the racing industry—once the beating heart of British betting—is now in terminal decline, having willingly sold its soul to corporate bookmakers. And Nick Rust, the former chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), played his part in ensuring racing remained dependent on bookmakers. In 2018, when the government proposed cutting the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2, Rust publicly warned that it would have a “significant impact” on the sport—as if racing’s financial model was somehow dependent on thousands of punters bankrupting themselves in Ladbrokes shopfronts pouring hard earned cash into reverse ATMs.

FOBTs: The Bookies’ Crack Cocaine Killed Off—So They Found a New Fix

Before "responsible gambling" became the industry’s go-to excuse, the bookmakers’ business model was almost entirely dependent on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs)—the electronic fruit machines that turned betting shops into state-approved cash vacuums, where punters could lose £100 every 20 seconds.

These machines were a financial goldmine, and the bookies fought tooth and nail to keep them untouched. Yet, under immense public pressure, the government cut the maximum stake from £100 to £2 in 2019—a move that should have been a defining moment for ethical reform in the industry.

But instead of reforming, the bookmakers simply pivoted their exploitation elsewhere:

• They ramped up "VIP" schemes—offering problem gamblers "loyalty rewards" that ensured they kept losing.

• They flooded punters with free bets, now free spins—carefully designed to lead casual bettors into the casino abyss.

• They restricted winning bettors faster than ever before—because a fair game is a bad business model.

And through all this, Nick Rust and the BHA sided with the bookmakers, warning that without FOBTs, racing would suffer financially. Because, apparently, the viability of British horse racing was intrinsically linked to FOBT addicts flushing their wages down a terminal.

Rust, of course, has since been rewarded with an OBE—a fitting honour for a man who spent his tenure ensuring racing remained in the pockets of corporate bookmaking.

VIP Schemes & Free Bets: The Bookies’ New Addiction Pipeline

With the FOBT cash cow gone, bookmakers needed a new way to keep punters losing faster than ever—so they doubled down on VIP schemes and free bets, using every psychological trick in the book to turn ordinary bettors into full-blown gambling addicts.

The playbook was simple:

1. Identify a losing customer. Someone who chases losses and bets erratically.

2. Make them feel "special." Give them a "VIP manager" who pretends to care about them.

3. Flood them with free bets, deposit bonuses, and exclusive offers. Ensure they keep playing.

4. Extract every last penny until they self-exclude or go bankrupt.

One case that exemplifies this was Liam McCarron, a man who lost over £100,000, was still encouraged to bet, and only after reaching financial ruin was he offered free bets to entice him back. That’s the level of "responsibility" we’re dealing with.

The Great Migration: From Sports Betting to the Casino Abyss

With FOBTs restricted and VIP schemes under scrutiny, the next logical step for bookmakers was to migrate sports bettors into online casinos—where the house always wins, and the losses are unlimited.

That’s why, if you place a £10 bet on a football match, you’ll immediately be bombarded with:

• "Try our new Lightning Roulette!"

• "Exclusive free spins on MegaJackpot Bonanza!"

• "Deposit £10 and get 50 bonus spins!"

It’s a refined, algorithmically driven manipulation tactic, designed to turn casual punters into problem gamblers, because the future of bookmaking isn’t sports betting—it’s the casino. But remember when the fun stops carry on!

Andrew Rhodes: The Spineless Bureaucrat Who Bottled It

At the helm of this regulatory failure sits Andrew Rhodes, the Gambling Commission’s chief, whose great contribution to reform has been affordability checks—a dystopian system that requires:

• A casual bettor to hand over bank statements and payslips to place a £20 bet.

• But allows problem gamblers to lose thousands on online slots, unchecked.

Meanwhile, the bookmakers are free to mine data, track losing players, and refine their predatory algorithms to increase profitability—all under the Gambling Commission’s watch.

The real question is: how gullible are punters to go along with this?

The Racing Media & BHA: In the Bookies’ Pockets

With racing in financial decline, you might expect the sport’s governing bodies and media to push back against bookmakers. Instead? Silence.

Why? Because the racing industry is now financially dependent on the very bookies who are squeezing the life out of it.

• The Racing Post, once a respected publication, is now little more than a PR outlet for corporate bookmakers.

• The BHA, supposedly the guardian of British racing, spends more time lobbying for bookmaker-friendly policies than protecting the sport’s future.

When FOBTs were curtailed, the industry didn’t call for fairer sports betting markets or better protection for racing punters—it pleaded with the government to consider the financial impact on racing. Because, after all, what’s a sport without gambling addicts funding it?

A Broken System That Won’t Fix Itself

Here’s where we are:

• The bookmakers restrict winners but exploit losers.

• They pushed FOBTs to the limit, then moved online to sidestep regulation.

• They funnelled sports bettors into casinos, knowing that’s where the real money is.

• They funded the racing media and BHA to ensure silence.

• Andrew Rhodes and the Gambling Commission let it all happen.

• Nick Rust warned against FOBT cuts—was rewarded with an OBE for his loyalty.

And responsible gambling? It remains what it always has been—a PR slogan in an industry that doesn’t want responsibility.