Computers’ effect on people…

The debate is on about the purported subjective findings of RGT’s independent research stating that betting machines can instigate bad behavior.

The Responsible Gambling Trust published the behavioral pattern of players who use gaming machines in licensed betting offices on December 01, 2014 and was presented to the gaming industry at the RGT’s annual ‘harm minimization’ conference scheduled on December 10, 2014.

The fully-independent research was carried out at the request of the British government and members of the board of the gaming industry. RGT used industry-held data to help inform policy decisions but the findings were criticized because it somehow seemed to put the betting operators in a good light.

RGT wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to tell the difference between problem and non-problem gambling behavior. They also offered solutions that would help to deter damaging behavior on “game machines” while not affecting those who did not show a destructive behavior.