Home Panorama Season 2016 Episode 28

Why are Gambling Machines Addictive?

Panorama · Season 2016 · Episode 28
Wendy Bendel investigates what makes fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) so addictive. Wendy's partner killed himself after struggling with a 20-year gambling addiction. In a confession he wrote for Wendy, he singled out the high-stakes, high-frequency FOBTs found in bookmakers across the UK. Wendy embarks on a journey to find out what it is about the design of the machines that makes them so addictive and sees evidence that they can affect the brains of long-term gamblers. She discovers the billions they generate has divided the industry, with former insiders now accusing the bookies of putting profits before people.

Episode Details

Air date, runtime, timezone, and episode position.

Season
2016
Episode
28
Air Date
12/Sep/2016
Air Time
20:30
Runtime
30 min

Overview

Episode summary.

Wendy Bendel investigates what makes fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) so addictive. Wendy's partner killed himself after struggling with a 20-year gambling addiction. In a confession he wrote for Wendy, he singled out the high-stakes, high-frequency FOBTs found in bookmakers across the UK. Wendy embarks on a journey to find out what it is about the design of the machines that makes them so addictive and sees evidence that they can affect the brains of long-term gamblers. She discovers the billions they generate has divided the industry, with former insiders now accusing the bookies of putting profits before people.

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