Red Faces At UK Newspaper

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Daily Mail stand on gambling described as "incredible hypocrisy"

One major British newspaper, The Observer was critical of another publication, The Daily Mirror this week over the new British cabinet's cooler position on the Manchester supercasino.

When Prime Minister Gordon Brown indicated last week in the House of Commons that the government may be having second thoughts about the supercasino approved by previous PM Tony Blair, the Daily Mail was voluble in claiming that it had played a role in the new approach to the issue, using headlines such as "A Very Moral Victory".

However, as The Observer newspaper discovered and revealed to the British public last weekend, the Daily Mail was itself guilty of "incredible hypocrisy" because its MailBingo website failed to adhere to guidelines set out by GamCare and RIGT (Responsibility in Gambling Trust.)

In a scathing attack, The Observer said that the MailBingo site “....failed to offer advice for vulnerable gamblers and uses young people to promote games”.

Cashcade, which runs the site for the Mail reacted quickly, commenting: “We are grateful that the absence of player protection references on this site has been brought to our attention. This was an oversight which has been immediately corrected."

While it is not a legal requirement to prominently feature responsible gambling advice, it is considered best practice and most mainstream online gambling sites do so. However, the MailBingo url redirected users to the Mail’s homepage this morning, saying: “The page you have requested does not exist or is no longer available."

Concern from church groups and anger from gambling chiefs still remains. "On the front page the Mail uses pictures of women who don't look like they're out of their teens. There are offers for children's parties. This is incredible hypocrisy," a senior gambling figure told The Observer.

Captain Matt Spencer of The Salvation Army UK and Ireland, said: "Any responsible online gambling site should have clearly identified age restrictions to ensure that children under 18 are protected. Every site should also include prominent directions to organisations which can be of help to people who accumulate large debts, or who realise that they are developing an addiction."

Requests for comments from Mail editor Paul Dacre were referred to the managing editor's office but no statement has been forthcoming. The Observer reported.