The Gambling Act 2005 as mentioned before : http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050019_en_2#pt1-pb3-l1g11

There is no legal way to play "fruit machines" under the age of 18. If the premises you played on were openly allowing it, then they were breaking the law.

Thats an important fact to remember, its "permitting" underage gambling thats illegal..

No, it was perfectly legal i assure you

from the independent.

There are 500,000 fruit machines in the UK, which the law allows children under 18 to play.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/computer-scam-cheats-fruitmachine-gamblers-586773.html

Apologies, I goofed up my terms. "slot machines" cannot be played by anyone under 18, but "fruit machines" (the difference is the skill element - slot machines just have a money slot and a gamble button/lever, hence no skill element)

According to the above act, so long as a fruit machine has a maximum payout (as opposed to jackpot) of £5, and the standard 70% or more payout ratio, they may indeed be played by minors.

Personally, I love fruit machines. To get to the mainland from here involves a 14 hour boat trip, and I often spend my time having a slow drink watching the machines for payout pattrens, or people who misunderstand the signals they give and walk away at the wrong time.

I always used to "help" people who were stuck.

Then once they gave up I pounced like a vulture

Aren't slot machines them 2p things where the money gets pushed over the edge, and a few keyrings if your lucky?



The thing with fruit machines is you have to see it as a game in itself, if you don't enjoy it there is no point bothering. I find it funny going lower than 11 then getting a 12

Haha, me 2

At the casino I work at the Slot machines there drop at 4k jackpot, But you can't double or nuthing it is the limit from a single spin but if you get it during a feature then you can get a possible 6k

And no a fruit machine is a childs version of a slot machine, due to higher jackpots different pay out percentages and different max bets



I was working in a different department the other day at the Casino and I realised every single day people make themselfs bankrupt, and lads just tell you all straight if you ever go in a Casino and loose £20 don't go in the next day to win the £20 back becuase when you loose that you are always chasing money and thats how it starts for most people, theres 1 guy who comes in hes got alot of money but 10 years ago he owned I think he said 12/15 business's and hes got 4 left through gambling!

People might think I sound like a preacher but if you go in lads just do it responsibly and if you ever wake up feeeling you have to go to a Casino, just walk in and say you want to self cancel due to money and they will then ban you from all of their Casinos in the Country so you can't go back

Edited at 09:21 Tue 27/01/09 (GMT)

I'd like to work in a casino I think. Although I can't deal or shuffle cards that well, they are amazingly quick in las vegas, and probabaly even stoke

By the way, why is it exactly that some people disapprove of gambling?

Is it the stories of people gambling to excess, or do people find it unethical that money is used in that way?

Good question...

My brother used to do a lot of gambling... and lost a lot of money doing so. Now he won't even touch a fruit (or slot) machine.

Although saying that... it hasn't put me off it in the slightest, I still play a fair bit of both online and 'real life' poker, roulette machines, and enjoy placing bets on football and horses.

Just so long as you practice a bit of will power, and only gamble what you can afford... it can be great fun!

My bet's on Josh being bankrupt by the end of the year

lolz

I was referring to the legal definitions;

A slot machine is one where all you can do is pop in a coin and accept the random outcome without any way to influence it.

A fruit machine is one that offers nudges, holds, or any other interactive experience.

I've never seen a fruit machine offering anything above £500, though slot machines can go way higher (£250,000 highest i've seen, £5 per play)

Good question by Nick there. I've never understood why there is such an objection to gambling, especially since people who object tend to have a very narrow minded view of what gambling is.

If you order something from a resteraunt you've never eaten before, you're gambling arent you?

I was also thinking about there was a comment or two that people wouldn't want to play on funkysnooker if gambling was available.

Gambling occurs to some degree in stock markets, banks, most businesses, our day to day life (from ordering food you haven't eaten before as spinner said to whether you take that new job).

For me the problem is some people get a rush from gambling money they can't afford to, however there's lots of ways to spend money that you can't afford to.

Thinking on this, its not the fact of the gambling, its just what might parents think if there is a gambling section to a site which is family friendly? Doesn't that just contradict what you want to site to be known as?

Because how can you have a family friendly site with "gambling" or what people want to call it?

I appreciate that aspect Damee, and that is certainly what a few have mentioned.

However, and Nick will be able to answer this better obviously, but going by what he has said, any proposed cash based game will be on a seperate site, but with a link from here and pool.

No matter how you look at it, thats no different to the links to other, actual, gambling sites which have always appeared, nor an Nick put it in another thread, from wandering down the street past a betting shop. Does that mean the high street isnt "family-friendly".

(for clarification, the word "actual" is there because under law, snooker is a game of skill, and therefore players compete in prize competitions - there is currently no proposal that others will be able to gamble on games)

I found a site where you download real fruit machines, and they play exactly like the real ones, the members draw up the machines using poster layouts of the machines. Won't give the link as not overly sure about how legal it is, allthough the site claims it is 100% above board.

My problem is similar to that of Damees - allthough I am thinking that if stakes are low in regards to playing costs and prize money, and Nick takes a slice to help with the future of the site, (e.g reinvesting the money into future upgrades) and it is indeed on a seperate server, then i'm OK with it

I don't have a problem with gambling - I love it as you might have guessed. But I wouldn't promote it to my little brother for instance. It is similar to my Dad. He loves his job, but I know he wants better for me. That is prbably why people say "I don't mind the gambling adverts, but it's not good for the kids" I suppose gambling just has an unfair stigma attached to it like alot of things, if done in moderation gambling is great fun.

Edited at 23:28 Wed 28/01/09 (GMT)

Correct, that seems the best way forward.

If you ever go to a football match, within the stadium grounds you will most likely find a Ladbrokes or other betting station nearby. As you know, a large amount of people who visit are under 18 years of age.

But how likely are people going to wander in the stadium and think "why is this betting station here in view of all these children? I shall not visit here again". You don't see these children using the service do you? And it hardly effects visiter numbers or it's 'family friendly' atmosphere elsewhere.

Its just similar to what could happen here. Funkysnooker/pool is the stadium, the seperate site is the bookies desk and the link to the other site is the fairly large sign that says "bet here"!

I'm not sure if people are actually disapproving of gambling, just if it was on this site. I think people have for a long time believed this is a "Family friendly" site and that "Gambling" does not fit into that ethos.

Before people start saying "It's not "Family friendly" etc, I have read the posts on "Family Friendly" And the various debates on "Gambling"

I find myself agreeing in part with both sides of the debate (contradictory I know)

For myself I enjoy a little flutter now and then so have no real objections to what is proposed.IF it is going to be on a different site (with a link) I don't really see any great difference between the proposed site and the Various "Bingo/Ladbrokes" type ads, people do not have to click on any of the ads shown.

As to age restriction issues unfortunately this true of many things in life driving, voting, cheaper car insurance, getting into a club etc.

On the issue of addiction/overspend there is only so much you can do to protect people and then it becomes their responsibility.

On the other hand I wouldn't want to see any additions to the site that would detract from the "Family Friendly" nature of the site, which I believe for the main part the "Funky" sites are able to maintain, thankfully.

Edit to try and make it easier to read

Edited at 14:58 Fri 30/01/09 (GMT)

Edited at 15:00 Fri 30/01/09 (GMT)

I guess I oppose the term family friendly as it's been used to pigeon hole what funkypool and funkysnooker can do and I think it stemmed from my comments about the level chat rooms should be moderated at.

I personally prefer the term community.

I think I know where you are coming from Nick. I think it is human nature to use labels to suit our present wants. I also think that change is often viewed with suspicion by many, I don't think this would change very much if you used the term "Community"

I have to say I think it is a great accolade to be called "Family Friendly" and this is in no small part due to the standard to which the sites are moderated. I know from experience that FS/FP sites do have a great sense of community. Although I'm not sure how you would apply the term in this context.

I see no reason whatsoever that the Funky sites cannot expand and diversify and believe that if the changes are handled in the ways previously mentioned most people wouldn't really object to the change. We often object more in discussion than in reality. As I have said before, people do not have to click on any of the ads or links on either site if they don't wish too.

I don't think that it would put many people off to be honest, unless the whole site was made into a gambling site but that is not the case !