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Google Now Permits Android Apps That Facilitate Gambling With Real Money (betanews.com)
Mark Wilson shares a report from BetaNews: Google has relaxed its rules surrounding real-money gambling apps in Google Play -- in some countries, at least. There has been a ban on apps and games that allow users to gamble with real money since 2013, but that has now changed. While there was previously a ban in place due to the difficulty in policing ages and complying with different gambling laws around the world, real-money gambling apps are now permitted in the UK, France and Ireland. The new rules stipulate that developers must submit their gambling apps for a special vetting process, and they must have an IARC content rating. Other rules include a ban on the use of Google payment services, a requirement to display information about responsible gambling, and a requirement to block underage use. The full list of requirements [can be viewed here].
Hopefully UK bookmakers won't drop their mobile sites in favour of going down the app route.
IMO they rank among the best engineered, no bullsh*t mobile websites out there, in many cases far better than their non-mobile counterparts.
The house always wins and that is the only way a gambling house can exist.
If the odds were actually fully equal then the house would on average have no income but would need to pay for the building, furniture, staff, etc. Between mandating this and just declaring them illegal is no real difference.
What needs to be mandated is that the odds are fully transparent and no actual cheating is going on.
Gambling on an unsecurable platform? What could go wrong?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
For a start that should make it illegal to call it gambling when the odds are specifically, purposefully and corruptly tilted in the houses favour.
"Specifically and purposefully", of course. That's how casinos can stay in business. See, for example, the green "0" and "00" slots on American roulette wheels that make bets on red or black somewhat less than an even bet, and odds on single numbers 37:1 when the payouts are 35:1. In blackjack, the only house advantage is that the players draw before the dealer, so if the player busts he loses whether or not the dealer busts, rather than it being a push when he and the dealer both bust.
"Corruptly", not so much, unless you consider any business that makes any profit corrupt. The odds are well known to anyone who investigates. Corrupt would be using loaded dice, or a crooked roulette wheel, or a marked deck of cards.