England: 98% of bookies allow under-age to bet

LONDON, England -- As reported by The Guardian: "The betting industry has been left shaken after its watchdog found that almost every bookmaker surveyed by its investigators was allowing under-age punters to place a bet.

"The Gambling Commission's undercover exercise checked all five of the major betting operators, who between them account for about 80% of betting shops. It found 98 of the 100 shops visited allowed a 17-year-old to place a bet at the counter.

"...The commission, which branded the results "disturbing", has summoned senior executives from the industry to urgent talks to discuss how to clamp down on the problem that led to licences being revoked.

"A senior executive at the Association of British Bookmakers ...promised that it would respond with an industry-wide action plan within weeks..."