📜 From the Archives Alert 📜

Valve is getting hit with a US lawsuit over its loot boxes being gambling in ugly cosmetic skins and getting under-18s into it. We talked about this "economy" a while ago with @mzc.bsky.social - it's bad and should be stopped.

praxiscast.podbean.com/e/e384-rush-...

🚨Reskinned Episode Alert🚨
@mzc.bsky.social joined us to talk gambling, counter-strike 2 skins, the fickleness of Gabe Newell and roulette wheels in every app and website that wants to sell you shit.

praxiscast.podbean.com/e/e384-rush-...

"Tax online casinos until the pips squeak" Rachel Reeves must instate a harm-based gambling tax

Wrote this for the New Statesman

The truth about the “hostile takeover” of the Green Party The left has no place in Labour any more.

The Greens reaching our potential involves winning over lots of ex-Labour voters

Guess what? That comes with welcoming former Labour members

I worked with @mzc.bsky.social on setting up @greensorganise.bsky.social - alongside Greens new & old

That’s our future www.newstatesman.com/politics/gre...

British politics is recalibrating and Greens Organise can be the vector for a Red/Green alliance 🔴🟢

The House Always Wins The gaming industry is turning every smartphone into a casino — and it’s destroying more lives than ever.

Thrilled to have been published in the latest edition of @jacobinmag.bsky.social

Government policy is to grow the gambling industry.

That means more addiction and more suicide.

Time for a rethink.

- @endgamblingads.bsky.social & @mzc.bsky.social

"If we have a left wing platform that wants to transform the British economy, we’re going get a lot of people that are opposed to it, and that’s not a bad thing.

@mzc.bsky.social speaking at the latest in our 'What next for the Greens' series:

Fair play for saying so

How Online Gambling Broke America YouTube video by GEN

This is a fantastic documentary and thanks to the guys at GEN for speeding my voice up as I know I speak way too slow 🐢

Op/Ed: Racing's Future and Reducing Gambling Harm Go Hand in Hand By Stewart Kenny and Matt Zarb-Cousin When betting shops had Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) at £100 a spin, offering high-speed roulette, the machines changed the atmosphere of betting shops. Pu...

Wrote this with Paddy Power founder Stewart Kenny on how the gambling industry is destroying both horse racing and people’s lives by peddling online casino

Valletta is a cool place!

Are you in Malta? I’m going next week 🇲🇹

Hats off to @carolinerussell.bsky.social for continuing to push the Mayor of London to do the right thing on gambling ads.

We can't wait for central government to opine on this topic. We need local leaders up and down the country to demand change.

Dropped into House of Commons for @chapterone-uk.bsky.social launching as a national provider addressing gambling harm.

Good to catch @sianberry.bsky.social @mzc.bsky.social and @willprochaska.bsky.social to plan ways of tackling gambling adverts on public transport and in betting shop windows.

My bit on 60 Minutes got another run out on Last Week Tonight during John Oliver’s fantastic takedown of online gambling in the US

Why is this so funny

Excellent from Matt and Neil on affordability checks and problem gambling. A must watch for anybody with strong opinions on the subject, especially those on the left.

"They are driving customers away from betting on the sport" YouTube video by Racing TV

Thanks @racingtv.com for having me on today. Those interested in reducing gambling harm can align with those wanting to defend horse racing by joining growing calls for separate wallets and platforms for online casino and slots

Me and Olly (winner of the Grand National 2018) approve

Greyhound racing ban promised in Wales Labour ministers say the sport - which has one track in Wales - will be banned as soon as possible.

Fantastic news. The way these lovely dogs are treated by the gambling industry is unacceptable

UK slot machine operator fined over cancer patient’s activity Gambling regulator fines Merkur Slots almost £100,000 for failings at one of its ‘adult gaming centres’

This is the industry that culture secretary Lisa Nandy has said she wants to see “thrive”

This is a very serious situation. We must stamp out the scourge of players flapping their arms like seagulls or sitting peacefully on the ground after scoring a goal.

This post was brought to you by TWATBET – the anonymous bookmakers that don't actually exist who definitely aren't money launderers

Someone sent me these 😂

The brilliant charity @gamblingwithlives.bsky.social is doing that with its Chapter One programme. More info here if useful: www.chapter-one.org

Thanks very much!

Matt Zarb-Cousin on LinkedIn: I’m 35 today, which means it’s 15 years since I quit gambling. For those… I’m 35 today, which means it’s 15 years since I quit gambling. For those that don’t know, my addiction was to Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, betting shop…

Wrote something on LinkedIn that I wanted to share here

You can always count on the Labour Right to eventually run to the media to brag about deceiving Labour’s membership with the Starmer campaign! Even in moments like now where their political project is clearly struggling with trust and credibility issues