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Jackpot: How Gambling Conquered Britain
A striking exposé of the insidious business practices that have generated enormous profits for the companies operating within the UK's gambling industry.'A methodical, sensitive and occasionally harrowing polemic about the gambling industry . . . The book has echoes of Patrick Radden Keefe's award-winning Empire of Pain.'SUNDAY TIMES'A serious attempt to grapple with the extent of Britain's problem.'THE SPECTATOR'Persuasive.' FINANCIAL TIMES'Fascinating.' IRISH TIMES'Eye-opening.' TELEGRAPH***716: the number of gambling logos displayed in a single Premier League football match£421 MILLION: the salary of Bet365's CEO in 2020.£14 BILLION: the annual losses incurred by British gamblers.Over half of the population gambles in the UK every year. How did we get here? What keeps us hooked when the odds are so heavily stacked against us? And who are the real winners and losers?Jackpot dives deep into gambling's seedy underbelly to answer these questions, and many more. From the first National Lottery draw in 1569 to the Wild West of today's online casinos, Guardian reporter Rob Davies follows the money to show who profits - and at what cost.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
410 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 21, 2022
Here's a quote that sums up this book:
This is an impressively-researched book that provides a good overview of how Britain became to be so dominated by gambling, especially in the last 20 years. It spends hundreds of pages on the untold misery caused by gambling – suicides, crime, families destroyed, addiction, domestic violence. Yet Davies is mystifyingly timid at drawing the conclusion his own reporting points toward: that gambling ought to be regulated far more heavily than it is currently.
Too often, Davies gives gambling companies the benefit of the doubt. Even when he admits gambling companies have been dragged or essentially forced into a good action, he "commends" them. Why do they need commending for doing something in their own interest that he admits is less than what they'd be forced to do otherwise? He thinks the ultra-rich gambling owners "deserve recognition" for throwing a few pennies of the millions and billions they've earned toward charity. Absolutely bizarre stuff.
Putting that massive flaw aside for the moment, the first half of the book is detailed and a great introduction to the major issues in British gambling. Davies brings to bear everything he's learned as a journalist covering the industry, which is a lot. But as we get further into the book, we get more and more lists of examples and case studies and inside baseball accounts, and less analysis and theory and opinion. By the penultimate chapter, I was subjected to pages upon pages of how much money various gambling founders had made. It's an important subject but surely there's a more interesting way to synthesise that information? If not, that's what appendices are for.
I realise industry people would label my attitude (which is not an unusual one: the majority of Brits favor a total ban on gambling advertising) as "prohibitionist". Davies notes this is a problematic term, and then goes on to use to repeatedly throughout the book. It's maddening – imagine calling someone who supports restrictions on selling alcohol to kids and serving drunk people a "prohibitionist".
I wish I could recommend this book as more than a resource for the state of gambling in the UK – but I can't.
"A 2021 paper published in The Lancet described gambling as a ‘rent-seeking industry that does not create wealth, but rather redistributes it from the deprived and vulnerable, including those affected by gambling-related harms, to the very rich, extracting money from its customers’. Obviously that’s a partisan view."Yes, but is it true?
This is an impressively-researched book that provides a good overview of how Britain became to be so dominated by gambling, especially in the last 20 years. It spends hundreds of pages on the untold misery caused by gambling – suicides, crime, families destroyed, addiction, domestic violence. Yet Davies is mystifyingly timid at drawing the conclusion his own reporting points toward: that gambling ought to be regulated far more heavily than it is currently.
Too often, Davies gives gambling companies the benefit of the doubt. Even when he admits gambling companies have been dragged or essentially forced into a good action, he "commends" them. Why do they need commending for doing something in their own interest that he admits is less than what they'd be forced to do otherwise? He thinks the ultra-rich gambling owners "deserve recognition" for throwing a few pennies of the millions and billions they've earned toward charity. Absolutely bizarre stuff.
Putting that massive flaw aside for the moment, the first half of the book is detailed and a great introduction to the major issues in British gambling. Davies brings to bear everything he's learned as a journalist covering the industry, which is a lot. But as we get further into the book, we get more and more lists of examples and case studies and inside baseball accounts, and less analysis and theory and opinion. By the penultimate chapter, I was subjected to pages upon pages of how much money various gambling founders had made. It's an important subject but surely there's a more interesting way to synthesise that information? If not, that's what appendices are for.
I realise industry people would label my attitude (which is not an unusual one: the majority of Brits favor a total ban on gambling advertising) as "prohibitionist". Davies notes this is a problematic term, and then goes on to use to repeatedly throughout the book. It's maddening – imagine calling someone who supports restrictions on selling alcohol to kids and serving drunk people a "prohibitionist".
I wish I could recommend this book as more than a resource for the state of gambling in the UK – but I can't.
August 14, 2025
This book gives an in-depth overview of the gambling industry in the UK by a Guardian journalist who has covered the sector for 20 years. The beginning of the book focuses on gambling addiction and gambling harms and shares emotional stories of people whose lives have been destroyed by gambling addiction.
The book then goes on to analyse the regulatory framework in the UK, beginning with the Unlawful Games Act of 1541 through to the Gambling Act of 2005. It highlights areas of failure where regulators have not kept pace with the industry. Alongside the regulatory framework, the book also covers the development of the gambling industry and its products including sports betting, online gambling, fixed-odd betting terminals, etc. One of the later chapters discusses future trends in gambling and where growth is likely to come in future.
I found it to be a very enlightening book and learned a lot about an industry that I knew little about but which is a large part of our lives.
The book then goes on to analyse the regulatory framework in the UK, beginning with the Unlawful Games Act of 1541 through to the Gambling Act of 2005. It highlights areas of failure where regulators have not kept pace with the industry. Alongside the regulatory framework, the book also covers the development of the gambling industry and its products including sports betting, online gambling, fixed-odd betting terminals, etc. One of the later chapters discusses future trends in gambling and where growth is likely to come in future.
I found it to be a very enlightening book and learned a lot about an industry that I knew little about but which is a large part of our lives.
June 10, 2022
Pretty good overall. I think the early parts are quite strong, when describing the history and mechanisms and position of gambling in society. These really hammer the point of how omnipresent and harmful an industry it is, and the sheer scale of it.
As a result, the last few chapters, which deal with the politics around the industry, are a bit of a let down, as the tone isn't as strong, the author seems almost wary of sticking the boot in, and attributes goodwill to politicians or industry actors who don't seem to deserve it. After the first part, I think a large degree of cynicism about any actions by the industry is deserved, and instead things are taken at their word, and their supposedly good intentions.
The chapter on the wealth of the CEOs, directors, etc. was very odd, almost hariographic, about people who made their money on the backs of vulnerable people, no matter how much they donate to foundations.
Overall I think it's a good entry into the subject, although could do with more bite, but it is a guardian/centrist approach so not too surprising.
As a result, the last few chapters, which deal with the politics around the industry, are a bit of a let down, as the tone isn't as strong, the author seems almost wary of sticking the boot in, and attributes goodwill to politicians or industry actors who don't seem to deserve it. After the first part, I think a large degree of cynicism about any actions by the industry is deserved, and instead things are taken at their word, and their supposedly good intentions.
The chapter on the wealth of the CEOs, directors, etc. was very odd, almost hariographic, about people who made their money on the backs of vulnerable people, no matter how much they donate to foundations.
Overall I think it's a good entry into the subject, although could do with more bite, but it is a guardian/centrist approach so not too surprising.
April 14, 2022
The 2005 Gambling Act was already out of date by the time it became law. Betting companies took advantage of new technologies and the slackened rules to create huge profits, and led to an increase in life-altering gambling addiction. Journalist Rob Davies has pulled together his researches over several years to explore this sorry tale, and illustrates it with the true stories of families affected by this problem. Not sure I learnt much new, but having all the facts pulled together in front of you brings it into sharp focus.
June 22, 2022
I'm not a gambler, never have been, but thought this would be interesting following some earlier book I had read which touched on the industry moving to Gibraltar. I didn't know about FOBT as I've never been in a bookies.
This is a well researched, informative and scary book on the activities of the betting companies and the proliferation of advertising in sport and online and the estimated numbers of problem gamblers in the UK and the harms associated with gambling.
Its not anything I will be taking up!
This is a well researched, informative and scary book on the activities of the betting companies and the proliferation of advertising in sport and online and the estimated numbers of problem gamblers in the UK and the harms associated with gambling.
Its not anything I will be taking up!
July 29, 2023
Davies has fashioned an excellent look into how gambling has exploded in the UK and how it has ruined lives when greed and lack of regulation has run wild. His journalistic pedigree is clear to see thanks to his balanced look at how the industry has evolved and what positive measures can be put in place to curb sad or needless excess. I look forward to reading more books of his.
May 7, 2022
Good book for general background and some facts on gambling in Britain, but the generalizations and judgements are not explained in sufficient detail (attepmting to fill this gap with individual tragic stories which is appealing to a well known psychological fallacy).
August 25, 2023
An interesting read. Some interesting facts throughout. Seemed his favourite person to reference throughout the book was himself, which I found a bit ... of a cheat, maybe? I mean, it seems a bit of a cop-out to reference yourself when looking for something to back up what you are saying, no?
September 3, 2023
Gambling as an issue
Really well balanced book. I work in
addictions and the lack of knowledge or resources for people with gambling addiction is shocking. This showed the good and bad of gambling.
Really well balanced book. I work in
addictions and the lack of knowledge or resources for people with gambling addiction is shocking. This showed the good and bad of gambling.
December 8, 2022
Depressingly insightful. I wish this book was written years ago.
July 24, 2023
Eye opening and depressing.
October 2, 2022
Well informed and well written. At times certain chapters tended to be longer than necessary, but it serves as an excellent summary of gambling culture and the industry in Britain, and what needs to be done to fix it.
March 18, 2022
Basically read like a collection of Guardian long reads and was perhaps a tad lacking in a coherent narrative. It was certainly interesting though part of me suspect that lawyers had being over it with a fine tooth comb giving the amount of times that the book had to make clear that they where not able to draw a particular conclusion.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews