Letter: Gamblers on the Net

Sir: Your report on Internet gambling (Network+, 26 May) raises interesting questions about the potential problems online gaming might create in the next few years.

Although there are few problem Internet gamblers, the situation will almost certainly change as more and more people go online. The Internet will become technologically more sophisticated, allowing faster speeds, which will facilitate "hard" gambling (those activities which allow punters to chase their losses).

There are also issues such as age regulation (how can you be sure that adolescents do not gamble using a parent's credit card?), gambling in the workplace (how do you prevent staff using free Internet access?) and the wider concern of how Internet gambling - which has no geographical boundaries - is regulated under each country's own gaming laws.

Dr MARK GRIFFITHS

Reader in Psychology

Nottingham Trent University