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Clocks will be one of Britain's weapons against problem gambling when it is employed to help gamblers keep track of time.
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Clocks will be one of Britain's weapons against problem gambling when itliberalizesthe sector, allowing a new wave of large Las Vegas-style casinos across the country, the government said last Thursday.
Traditionally, casinos have avoided giving customers clues to how long they've been gambling,spurningclocks and often shutting out sunlight in the early hours of the morning.
But draft gambling rules Thursday set out measures to combat addiction and crime, including licenses for finance and managing directors, a ban on free drinks and measures to help gamblerskeep track of time.
"Casino and bingo operators must introduce measures to control continuous and repetitive play, such as designing sites and implementing procedures to encourage breaks in play and making customers aware of the time they have spent gambling," said the Gambling Commission.
A spokeswoman said the measures might include clocks on walls, timers and alerts on machines and breaks in play.
"Alcohol must not be used as an inducement to encourage people to gamble," added the Commission.
The new gambling acttakes full effectfrom September 2007 and will allow 17 new casinoson top ofthe current 140, one of them a giant supercasino.
The Commission estimated annual UK gambling turnover, including the lottery, at about 53 billion pounds .
Tessa Jowell, the minister in charge of gambling, said gambling should not be treated like any other industry.
"What can be a harmless pastime for one person can be a life-destroying addiction for another," she said.
(Agencies) |
英國政府上周四表示，在放開對賭博業限制，允許在全國范圍新開一些拉斯韋加斯式大賭場的同時，在賭場內掛放鐘表將成為預防問題賭博的手段之一。
為了避免讓顧客知道自己在賭場里耗了多久，賭場歷來不安置鐘表，并杜絕讓清晨的陽光射進室內。
但周四的賭博法草案規定，政府要采取措施抵制賭"癮"行為和賭博犯罪。法案規定賭場財務和管理人員必須申請牌照，禁止賭場發放免費飲品，采取措施讓賭徒有時間觀念。
賭博業委員會說，賭場經營者必須采取措施控制無節制的賭博行為，比如，他們得設置一些場地、安排一些程序，鼓勵在游戲中間停下來休息，同時，賭場得讓顧客意識到他們在賭場里耗了多久。
一位女發言人說，這些措施包括在墻上掛置時鐘，在賭場內放置計時器或警報器等裝置，在賭博其間規定休息時間。
賭博業委員同時表示："賭場不得用酒精吸引顧客賭博。"
新的賭博法案將于2007年9月全面生效，屆時，除了現有的140個賭場外，政府將再開設17個新賭場，其中包括一個超大型賭場。
據賭博業委員會估計，每年，英國包括彩票在內的賭博營業額是5300萬英鎊。
負責賭博業的部長泰薩·喬威爾說，賭博業不同于其它行業，應該特別對待。
她說："對一些人來說，賭博也許是一項無害的娛樂活動；但對另一些人來說，它可能成為毀滅一個人一生的毒品。"
(中國日報網站編譯)
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Updated: 2006-03-13 09:53
