Lewis Pek Editor
Comment
August 2020
There’s an idea - which I think I learned from Foucault’s Pendulum (but it’s been a while) - that if enough people believe in a conspiracy theory, then that becomes your reality. I guess the modern equivalent is ‘alternate facts;’ the endgame reached by fake news and positive reinforcement.
I describe this because I’ve been clapping my hand to my mouth multiple times over the last month, sounding increasingly like Trump, proclaiming stories in the mainstream media as “Fake News!” This ranges from journalistic white lies, articles that begin with statements such as “research shows” - which translates to “a google search” - and “experts say” - which is the code for “the agenda of my media outlet.” However, there are also blatant mis-truths, such as one that’s circulating so incessantly across the mainstream press in the UK that it’s now taken as fact.
There’s currently the belief that one suicide per day takes place in the UK due to gambling. It’s been so heavily quoted that it’s now spoken about without reference to any research or expert opinion. It’s become fact. The problem is that it’s not true. And I say this because there’s no empirical evidence to support it.
THERE’S CURRENTLY A BELIEF THAT ONE SUICIDE PER DAY TAKES PLACE IN THE UK DUE TO PROBLEM GAMBLING. BUT IT’S NOT TRUE.
The House of Lords recently conducted a wide reaching gambling report, which concluded that there’s a dearth of statistics in relation to gambling related suicides, which hampers the ability of those trying to access the true impact. The report makes recommendations to change the way in which coroners record deaths, but at this stage no one knows how many are linked to problem gambling - it might be more than one per day - the fact is that no one knows.
So why did Lord Grade, in promoting the findings of the report, announce that there’s one gambling suicide per day in the UK? Because if you’re looking to impose bans on the gaming industry, why bother with research, study and facts? Instead a ‘fact’ pulled from the website ‘Gambling with Lives,’ is being used to justify anti- gambling rhetoric. If you’re interested in this subject and venture down the rabbit hole of research papers from far flung countries, some dating back 10 years, you can lose yourself in lockdown reading the reports quoted by Gambling With Lives.
My question is: when you’re chasing a result, however noble, why resort to fake news to achieve your goal? If the need is a great as is claimed, then surely the facts will speak for themselves? Why invent statistics and create false arguments? Instead, gather the data and make a rational and reasonable case. Rushing to a conclusion that suits your agenda doesn’t serve the interests of anyone.
EDITORIAL
G3 Magazine Editor Lewis Pek
lewis@gamingpublishing.co.uk +44 (0) 1942 879291
G3Newswire Editor Phil Martin
phil@gamingpublishing.co.uk +44 (0)7801 967714
Features Editor Karen Southall
karensouthall@gmail.com
International Reporter James Marrison Staff Reporter William Bolton
william@gamingpublishing.com Contributors
Arnis Veremnieks, John
Kyriakides, Mike Knell, Jarrod True, Piotr Dynowski, Michal Salajczyk, Marek Plota, Sherill Pal
P4 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA ADVERTISING
Commercial Director John Slattery
john@gamingpublishing.co.uk +44 (0)7917 166471
Business Development Manager James Slattery
james@gamingpublishing.co.uk +44 (0)7814227219
Advertising Executive Alison Dronfield
alison@gamingpublishing.co.uk +44 (0)1204 410771
PRODUCTION
Senior Designer Gareth Irwin
Production Manager Paul Jolleys
Subscriptions Manager Jennifer Pek
Commercial Administrator Lisa Nichols
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230
